FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 11, 2025
Toronto, ON — Parents, educators, and child care advocates across Ontario are calling on Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney to keep their promise and fully fund $10aDay child care. Their call comes after news that the new one-year extension to the Canada–Ontario Early Learning and Child Care Agreement will stall further fee reductions for families.
While advocates initially welcomed confirmation that the existing deal won’t expire in March 2026, that relief quickly turned to frustration when it became clear the new agreement would freeze parent fee reductions at the current average of $19 per day and a cap of $22—falling short of both governments’ promise to achieve an average of $10aDay by 2026.
“We need both the Ontario and federal governments to keep their promise to families,” said Carolyn Ferns of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care. “This one-year extension cannot mark the start of backtracking on $10aDay. It must be the first step toward a stronger agreement, in which both governments step up to fully fund the high-quality, affordable child care system that Ontario families deserve.”
With families already struggling under rising costs, many parents are expressing disappointment that governments appear to be scaling back on a key affordability measure.
“Parents across Ontario planned and budgeted based on the commitment that fees would drop to an average of $10aDay by March 2026,” said Rajean Hoilett, of Parents for Child Care. “This extension deal leaves those families feeling misled and let down.”
National advocates warn that Ontario’s deal could set a worrying precedent for other provinces still negotiating their own extensions.
“With more bilateral agreements and provincial action plans yet to be finalized, Ontario’s deal sends a troubling signal that the Carney government may be backing away from the transformative $10aDay vision that promised steadily expanding access to child care programs through fee reductions and increasing the availability of programs ,” said Morna Ballantyne, Executive Director of Child Care Now.
As the one-year agreement leaves key issues unaddressed, this will sharpen the focus of the child care movement in Ontario.
“This one-year extension gives us a clear mission,” said Amber Straker, Executive Director of the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario. “We’ll be pushing relentlessly for increased and sustained funding—funding that delivers real affordability for families, decent work and pay for educators, and equitable access for all.”
Media contact:
Carolyn Ferns
Policy Coordinator, Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
647-218-1275
carolyn@childcareontario.org