CRRU | INTRODUCTION | FEDERAL ROLE |  THE BIG PICTURE | THE LONG VIEW |  NOTES AND REFERENCES 
Early childhood care and education in Canada: Provinces and territories 1998

Early childhood care and education in Ontario
Planning and development Provincial context Legislation History Related services Planning and development Standards and regulation Space statistics Provincial context Child care services Provincial official responsible for child care Legislation Recent developments History Standards and regulation Children with social needs Child care services Key provincial organization Recent developments Municipal role Administration Funding Standards and regulation Aboriginal child care Children with social needs
Administration ON


The Ministry of Community and Social Services is responsible for developing policy and legislation, coordinating planning, licensing programs, ensuring compliance with the regulations, and administering funding, on a cost-shared basis with municipalities.

The Ministry of Community and Social Services is a decentralized ministry. Licensing and monitoring of programs is the responsibility of ten Regional Offices. The Child Care Branch is responsible for policy and legislation development.

 
Municipal role ON

Responsibility for managing the delivery of child care is being transferred to 47 Consolidated Municipal
Delivery Agents. (See RECENT DEVELOPMENTS). Municipalities also operate services.

 
Child care planning and development ON

Consolidated Municipal Delivery Agents are to develop local service plans, including service targets and levels, according to provincial guidelines on local service planning. Regional Offices will approve the plans which are to take effect January 1, 2000.

 
Related services ON


KINDERGARTEN (MINISTRY OF EDUCATION)

Enrollment 1996-97 245,855
Average annual expenditure per student k-gr.12 (1996) $7,133

Ontario has part-time kindergarten for 5-year-olds and most 4-year-olds.

COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN - CAPC
(HEALTH CANADA) (1998)
Total number of CAPC projects 81
Number of projects defined by CAPC as child development/preschool programs 75

ABORIGINAL HEAD START (HEALTH CANADA) (1998)

Number of programs off-reserve 10

In 1998, Aboriginal Head Start was expanded to include services for on-reserve as well as off-reserve communities.

OTHER

In December 1998, the Province introduced the Ontario Child Care Supplement for Working Families. It provides payments to low- and modest-income families with children under 7 years of age, to parents who are working or studying, or to two-parent families with one stay-at-home parent. In 1996, the Ontario Works program was introduced. $65 million was allocated for child care costs of Ontario Works participants. Child care fee assistance may be provided up to the actual cost of licensed care, or up to pre-established ceilings for informal care. Ontario Works is cost-shared on an 80/20 basis with municipalities.

Learning Earning and Parenting (LEAP) was announced in March 1999 and is to be implemented across the province by Ontario Works Delivery Agents by December 31, 1999 . It is a targeted strategy of Ontario Works and is mandatory for teen parents on social assistance. The program includes high school, parenting courses, home visiting, peer mentoring, career counseling and job preparation.

 
  ONTARIO   1  2   3   4   5   6
 INTRODUCTION | FEDERAL ROLE  | THE BIG PICTURE | THE LONG VIEW  | NOTES AND REFERENCES

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