Midhurst/October 25, 2023 – County Council is building up futures through the region’s new Early Learning and Child Care Directed Growth Strategy, a five-point plan that creates spaces, increases affordability, and builds knowledge of the positive impacts that a strengthened early learning and child care system will have in our communities.
In 2022, the Federal/Provincial Government announced an agreement to make significant investments in early learning and child care through regional governments. The County is pleased to report that through system planning and funding allocations, it has successfully created over 1,000 new child care spaces, surpassing the provincial target of 600 this year. By 2026, the County of Simcoe aims to create more than 3,000 new spaces for children 0-5 years of age and County Council has a proactive strategy to reach these goals.
“Council and County staff are committed to creating greater access to affordable licensed child care in Simcoe County, » said Warden Basil Clarke. “We would like to thank our partners in the federal and provincial governments for providing additional funding. Through this innovative and forward thinking strategy, we look forward to helping more families and child care providers throughout Simcoe County. »
Additional spaces will be created in priority areas for directed growth identified across the region.
This plan:
- Creates more licensed child care spaces for children, with over 3,000 new spaces by 2026 for children 0-5 years of age, and promotes equity and equality for children
- Increases affordability for families by reducing parent fees to $10 per day on average for children 0-5 years of age by 2025/2026
- Enhances quality and stability for licensed child care operators by supporting high quality early learning and child care environments
- Builds Up the early learning and licensed child care workforce through enhanced wages, professional development opportunities, and support for recruitment and retention
- Builds knowledge within the community by promoting rewarding career opportunities in Early Childhood Education, educating the public on the positive long-term impacts of early years experiences, and providing evidence-based service planning
About the County of Simcoe
County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.
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CONTACTS:
Andrea Walasek
Public Relations Consultant
County of Simcoe, Service Simcoe Department
249-535-3511 (mobile)
Andrea.Walasek@simcoe.ca
Collin Matanowitsch
Manager, Public Relations
County of Simcoe, Service Simcoe Department
705-734-8386 (mobile)
Collin.Matanowitsch@simcoe.ca