Dear Families, November 13, 2025
Families across Ontario enrolled in child care received a letter from the Minister of Education on November 10, 2025, confirming that the Ontario and federal governments have reached an agreement to extend the federal child care program. As organizations that advocate for child care in Ontario, we would like to provide some additional context, and share our concerns.
We welcome the confirmation that the existing deal won’t expire in March 2026, as we know families across Ontario rely on these child care spots. However, we are disappointed that the new one-year agreement extension freezes fee reductions at their current rates and does not honour governments’ commitment to bring fees down to an average of $10aDay.
In the original funding agreement between Ontario and the federal government, a commitment was made to bring down parent fees to an average of $10aDay by September 2025. This was later delayed to March 2026. This commitment has now been abandoned and fee rates will remain at the current average of $19 per day and a cap per $22 a day until December 31, 2026. It is uncertain if fees will go up or down after that date. Ontario now has no plan to achieve $10aDay.
We believe Ontario must join the majority of provinces who have already reached $10aDay, and that Ontario families deserve the same benefits from this national program as other families across the country. Ontario and the federal governments must keep their promise to families.
The federal and provincial government should work together to fund new child care programs so that affordable child care is available in all communities. Our governments must urgently act to solve the child care workforce crisis with better wages and working conditions so that every centre can reach its capacity and maintain quality. That’s how we end waitlist stress.
What can we do about it?
We will keep pushing for increased and sustained funding—funding that delivers real affordability for families, decent work and pay for educators, and equitable access for all. If you want to help raise your voice with other families across Ontario, you can join Parents for Child Care, a province-wide network for families working together here in Ontario, at: www.childcareontario.org/parents
Sincerely,
Carolyn Ferns, Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
Amber Straker, Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario
Morna Ballantyne, Child Care Now