�°������ϸ�����̳

Excerpt: "The COVID-19 outbreak has further highlighted the importance of having a range of high-quality child care and early years programs, that provide rich social, emotional and early learning experiences for children while allowing families to work. The outbreak has also highlighted what we already knew about people working in the child care and early years sector: they are passionate, dedicated and child-centred, able to adapt to changing circumstances while always keeping the best interests of children and families at heart."

Excerpt: "In the year ending March 31, 2020: The number of licensed child care centres increased by almost 1% to 5,565 centres, of which more than 3,000 centres were located in publicly funded schools; The number of licensed child care spaces grew by 16,206 spaces to 462,802 spaces, representing an increase of 4%. All age groups have seen an increase in spaces: a 4% increase for infants, toddlers, Kindergarten, and school age children; a 3% increase for preschool children; and an increase from 418 to 692 spaces for the “family age group”; A total of 131 home child care agencies were in operation, with 8,296 approved homes affiliated with these agencies; More than 2,000 individuals were approved to receive grants to support them in obtaining an early childhood education diploma."

Excerpt: "The Ontario government is investing $550 million to build 20 new schools and eight permanent school additions across the province in 2020-21. These new projects will create nearly 16,000 new student learning spaces and 870 new licensed child care spaces as part of the government's ongoing efforts to improve and build modern schools."

Excerpt: "The Ontario government is providing $24.3 million in targeted investments to hire additional staff, increase access to counselling and therapy, create new programs to help manage stress, depression and anxiety, and address eating disorders and other challenges facing children and youth. This funding is part of the government's $176 million investment in the Roadmap to Wellness, a comprehensive plan to build a fully connected mental health and addictions system across the province."

Excerpt: "The government is making substantial investments of $13 billion in capital grants over 10 years to build new schools and renew existing schools across Ontario, to ensure that students have safe and modern education environments in which to learn and thrive. COVID-19 has underscored the importance of this commitment."

Excerpt: "Ontario is investing $150,000 to create two new positions at the provincial advocacy group l'Association francophone à l'éducation des services à l'enfance de l'Ontario (AFÉSEO). These positions will promote the recruitment, retention and professional development of French-language early childhood educator staff while supporting the provision of high-quality French-language services in child care and early years programs."

Excerpt: "Since the 2020 Budget, Ontario's Action Plan: Protect, Support, Recover, significant additional investments have been made as part of the Ontario government's urgent COVID-19 response, including: (…) $235 million in additional supports to protect children and staff in child care and early years settings."

Excerpt: "Based on public and sector feedback, the ministry has identified six action areas to improve the child care and early years system. The action areas include immediate commitments, such as consulting on proposed regulatory amendments through the Ontario Regulatory Registry, and longer-term commitments to continue to enhance the system by providing more choice and affordability for children and families, reducing red tape and administrative burden, and improving quality."

Excerpt: "To support parents with the cost of child care and help them get back into the workforce, the government is proposing a 20 percent enhancement of the CARE tax credit for 2021. This would increase support from $1,250 to $1,500, on average, providing about $75 million in additional support for the child care expenses of over 300,000 families."

Excerpt: "The annual report describes the early years and child care system in Ontario. The report includes: an overview of the early years and licensed child care system, including trends over the years; key early years and child care data, including: the number of licensed child care centres and spaces, the number of home child care agencies, EarlyON child and family centre locations and number of visits; indicators under the Canada-Ontario Early Learning and Child Care Agreement; information on children’s developmental health and wellbeing collected using the early development instrument (EDI)."

Excerpt: "Ministers Lecce and Rickford outlined Ontario’s education plan to strengthen Indigenous learning through a meaningful co-development process with Indigenous partners, Elders and Knowledge Holders, including: Mandatory Indigenous-focused learning added to the Social Studies, Grades 1-3 curriculum, including exploring opportunities for new learning on: The role of family and resilience in First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and nations; First Nations, Métis and Inuit historical and contemporary realities; Indigenous peoples’ interrelationship and connection with the land; The residential school system and the reclamation and revitalization of identity, language, culture and community connections."

Excerpt: "Investing in schools helps support the long-term success of students. This is why the government is investing about $14 billion in capital grants over 10 years to construct more schools, improve existing facilities across Ontario and support education-related projects. As part of this investment, the government is providing $1.4 billion for the 2021–22 school year to support the repair and renewal of schools, including upgrading ventilation systems. Over five years, the government is investing up to $1.0 billion to create up to 30,000 licensed child care spaces for families and communities across the province."