Bell joins advocates to call for better childcare

TORONTO – Official Opposition NDP MPP Jessica Bell (University – Rosedale) joined St Alban’s Childcare Centre, the Toronto Coalition for Better Childcare, and TDSB and TCDSB school board trustees to call for solutions to the child care crisis as childcare and daycare centres face risks of closure.

“Access to affordable childcare ensures that parents, especially women, are able to work and live in one of the most expensive cities in the world,” said Bell. “But because of the Ford government’s funding mess, daycares are leaving the affordable childcare program, as the government isn’t providing enough money to cover their costs.”

“Families are struggling, while the Ford government continues to fail to address this issue with urgency. Today, I am calling on the government to urgently fix the funding formula so childcare centres can meet parents’ need for high-quality and affordable childcare and pay the workers a fair wage so they can afford to live in our city.”

Quotes

Emma Partington parent

“As a mother with two young children, having access to affordable childcare has lessened the financial impact of affording full-time care. It allowed us to enroll our kids in additional programming and for me to extend my maternity leave. This program could be the difference between being able to afford a home or not. Without affordable childcare, I might be in a situation that would affect my ability to work. It could impact our eligibility to qualify or pay for a mortgage, stay within our community or send our eldest to an aftercare program.”

Karen Grant, St. Alban’s Childcare Centre

“We’ve had more staff resign in the past year than we’ve lost in the past 25 years because our excellent and caring staff can’t afford to rent or own a home in Toronto at the wages we have to pay. We have hundreds of kids on our wait list. The need has never been higher and we fear that we will not be able to meet the need. We need the program to be fixed so we can stay.