News & Stories: Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "To include s. 2.1 under Elementary School Classes – Requirements Respecting Size. This section provides class size provisions for full-day junior kindergarten and kindergarten, clearly identifying an average class size unit of 26 pupils."

The Department of Education has released a discussion paper Modernizing Child Care in Ontario, "to begin a conversation that will help move Ontario towards a high quality, accessible and co-ordinated early learning and care system for all children."

ADM Darryl Sturtevant, Ministry of Children and Youth Services and ADM Jim Grive, Ministry of Education circulated a memo to Directors of Education, Best Start Committees and Data Analysis Coordinator Host Agencies regarding a review of the current EDI and KPS.

Excerpt: "The purpose of this memorandum is to provide Consolidated Municipal Service Managers (CMSMs) and District Social Services Administration Boards (DSSABs) with information about Ontario’s new funding formula and funding framework for child care, which will take effect in 2013."

Excerpt: "The Ontario Early Years Policy Framework builds on our collective progress and provides a vision for the early years to ensure children, from birth to age six, have the best possible start in life."

London’s Early Childhood Educators Labour Market Partnership project proposal has been approved and fully funded by the Ministry of Training Universities and Colleges for $72,789.

Education Minister Liz Sandals visited full-day kindergarten students, teachers and staff at Ogden Junior Public School for the first day of school where she provided details on a study conducted in partnership with Queen's and McMaster universities on FDK. The study measured the progress and development of students who were enrolled in FDK compared to those who participated in half-day programs.

Beginning July 2013, 510,000 families will receive an increase of up to $110 and 24,000 families will become eligible for the Ontario Child Benefit for the first time. This additional support will help families with the cost of food, clothing, recreation and other necessities. The benefit will increase in July 2013 to a maximum annual payment of $1,210 for each child, and then to $1,310 in July 2014.

Liz Sandals, Minister of Education, issued the following statement on the review of unlicensed child care complaints: "As I committed to last week, my ministry has conducted a thorough review of every complaint received related to unlicensed child care providers over the past year to determine compliance with current policies. The ministry took immediate action to determine whether there were any complaints that had not been addressed. Out of a total of 280 complaints received by the ministry over the past year, it was determined that nine had not been responded to with a site visit.

Premier Kathleen Wynne visited the Early Years Centre at the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office where she highlighted the 2013 Budget's proposed increases to the Ontario Child Benefit, which helps about one million low- to moderate-income children across the province. The Ontario government is proposing to increase the Ontario Child Benefit's annual maximum payment by up to $210 over the next two years. This would raise the maximum payment from $1,100 to $1,310 per year for each child, helping parents with their family expenses.

Ontario is taking steps to strengthen oversight of the province's unlicensed child care sector while increasing access to licensed child care options for families. The Child Care Modernization Act, to be introduced December 3, would allow the province to immediately shut down a child care provider when a child's safety is at risk.

Province Increasing Ontario Child Benefit, Improving the Quality of Child Care.