News & Stories: Policy Monitor

The government announced the final roll out plans for full-day kindergarten for all 4- and 5-year-old children – approximately 250,000 children by September 2014.

Government memo re: amendments to legislation, regulations and guidelines related to Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program, including overview; operational framework for extended day and third party programs; safe schools and FDK; and broader implementation of FDK. Regulations indicate non-profit delivery of afterschool programs unless commercial programs are already in schools or no other alternatives are available.

The Ministry of Education, Early Learning Division announced an interim policy regarding capital funding to replace child care spaces in replacement schools. The funding would affect "child care spaces for children aged 0 to 3.8 years old located in schools that are scheduled to close or to be rebuilt."

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.