Ontario Faces Challenges Meeting $10-a-Day Child Care Goals

Declining proportion of registered early childhood educators and staffing shortages hinder progress toward affordability and accessibility targets.

The percentage of registered early childhood educators (RECEs) in Ontario child care programs has declined from 58.9% in 2022 to 56% in 2024, falling short of the province's 60% target under the national $10-a-day program.
Recruitment and retention challenges, driven by low wages and inadequate benefits, are cited as key reasons for the decline in RECEs despite a net increase in their overall numbers since 2022.
Ontario has committed to creating 86,000 new child care spaces by 2026 but has only added 27,993 net new spaces so far, with staffing shortages impacting the ability of centers to operate at full capacity or expand.
The federal government has introduced $1 billion in low-cost loans for public and non-profit child care providers to build and renovate spaces, but these funds will not be available until spring 2025.
Disagreements between Ontario and the federal government over the cap on for-profit child care spaces are seen as a barrier to growth, with Ontario advocating for more flexibility while the federal government remains firm on maintaining the cap.