The Canadian Press has obtained a letter sent today to municipalities informing them that the deadline is being extended from September 1 to November 1 to give operators more time to make decisions and ensure more parents can see savings . Many childcare providers, particularly for-profit ones, have said they want to register to give discounts to parents, but are hesitant about the impact on their business and have expressed concern that each municipality has a different process. Ontario is now telling municipalities they must share a sample standard agreement with all licensed operators in their area by August 29. A senior government source says agencies that have already opted out will be able to review their decision in light of the changes and opt out, if they choose. The province also says in the letter that municipalities and agencies must enter into an agreement within 30 calendar days of applying, up from 60, and then provide parents with discounts within 20 calendar days of receiving childcare center funding . The government says that despite the deadline extension, parents will still see an average of 50 per cent savings by December 31, as originally planned. With just weeks to go before September, take-up varies widely between municipalities, with some — particularly smaller areas — seeing all or nearly all operators apply, while in other regions less than half of operators have applied by moment. In Toronto, the greater region, 587 of a total of 1,042 licensed child care centers have applied — and 32 have opted out — although the percentage of for-profits that have applied is much lower than not-for-profits. About one-third of eligible for-profit centers have already applied, compared to two-thirds of not-for-profit centers. There are 19 for-profit centers that have decided to opt out and 13 non-profit organizations that have made the same choice. York Region has received 240 applications from its 557 providers, although it has seen a higher rate of for-profit acceptance than from the not-for-profit sector. Ten have been excluded. In Dufferin County, of the 13 operators, one has opted in and one has opted out. Meanwhile, in municipalities like Manitoulin-Sudbury and Kawartha Lakes, all agencies have either applied or said they will, and in Thunder Bay, 18 of 21 agencies have applied or said they will . In the Peel region, west of Toronto, the majority of operators have expressed interest in joining the program, but some complain about the process, which asks them to submit an “expression of interest” before receiving details. Program development in Ontario has differed from other provinces, in part because child care is funded through municipalities rather than directly from the province, experts say. Some childcare advocates have expressed concern that municipalities appeared to be negotiating center-by-centre deals, rather than having a standard set of terms. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 16, 2022.
