EXCERPTS:
WATERLOO REGION - The region will be receiving an extra $1.3 million for child care from the province next year.
"The province says it gives us more flexibility," said Regional Chair Ken Seiling of the additional money announced Wednesday.
But Seiling said it's too early to know the impact of the funding. The province must still provide details of the allocation, such as whether it can be used for wage subsidies or underwrite child-care fees.
The current challenge facing child care is the loss of four-and-five year olds who now attend school instead of daycare, Seiling said. Those children sustained the child-care system as they were less expensive to care for than younger children.
Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy said in a telephone interview that the extra money for the region is the result of a new provincial funding formula that is based on a municipality's current demographics and population trends.
While fast-growing areas such as Waterloo Region will receive more money for child care, stagnant municipalities will receive less, said Milloy, who is also minister of community and social services and minister of colleges and universities.
The former funding formula was based on historical data, some of it up to 20 years old, he said.
"The new formula is much more transparent and based on population," said Milloy, adding it will be adjusted annually as new statistics become available.
Milloy said he's heard for years from Seiling that the region needed a larger share of child-care dollars because of a growing population.
"For us, I think it is great news," he said.
-reprinted from the Record