Excerpts:
The roots of poverty are complex and the task of reducing poverty in Ontario is multi-faceted and challenging. Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy sets out a comprehensive plan to address the needs of Ontarians and build structures necessary to break the cycle of poverty. Ontario is focusing first on children and their families, with the goal of reducing the number of children living in poverty by 25 per cent over five years. Our plan is about investing in the potential of all Ontarians and we are putting programs and supports in place so each of us can grow, succeed and contribute. It was developed with the goals of increasing opportunities and reducing barriers.
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In order to lift children and their families out of poverty, we have to ensure that all children have what they need for the best possible start in life. A child's early development is a strong predictor of success in school and in later life. The investments we make now in children and their families will be repaid many times over, across many generations, and contribute to a stronger economic and social future for all Ontarians.
Year three highlights
Full-Day Kindergarten: Many studies have shown that full-day learning programs for four- and fiveyear- olds have a positive impact on academic, social and emotional development. This gives children a better chance of finishing high school, going on to postsecondary education and getting a good job. In fact, research indicates that every dollar invested in early learning repays a seven-to-one return on investment. In 2011, Full-Day Kindergarten expanded to reach approximately 50,000 four- and five-year-olds in nearly 800 schools. This will further expand to 120,000 students in 2012-13, and the program will be fully implemented by September 2014, benefiting 250,000 students. Full-Day Kindergarten saves working parents up to $6,500 a year per child on child care and allows for greater employment opportunities.
Best Start Child and Family Centres: Throughout the winter of 2010, the Minister of Children and Youth Services along with Early Learning Advisor Dr. Charles Pascal consulted with parents, service providers and experts on developing an integrated child and family services system through the Ontario Best Start initiative. The goal is to provide seamless, accessible family-centred programs and services in Ontario communities. Important next steps include learning from communities that have successfully integrated services through community action research, monitoring the seven speech and language services demonstration sites to evaluate different integrated service delivery models, and developing an outcomes index to monitor and measure outcomes effectively.
High-quality early learning and child care: Safe, high-quality and affordable child care is critically important to the well-being of low-income families. Ontario's investments help parents access child care, allowing them to play an active role in the labour force while giving their kids the essential skills they need for success in school. The responsibility for child care is transferred to the Ministry of Education to provide a more integrated approach to the continuum of child care, early learning and education. Since 2003, Ontario's commitment to child care funding has increased from $532.4 million to $869 million, an increase of 63 per cent. Additionally, in 2010, Ontario committed to permanently fill the gap left by the federal government with an investment of $63.5 million per year. Through Ontario's investments, nearly 43,000 more children are receiving fee subsidies every year. Licensed child care capacity has grown by nearly 80,000 spaces since 2003. We are committed to working with our partners to modernize Ontario's child care system.
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Moving Foward
As we look to 2012, we remain committed to the longterm goals of Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy and to our vision of a province in which every individual has the opportunity to achieve, succeed, and contribute:
- The Results Table, chaired by the Minister of Children and Youth Services, the Honourable Dr. Eric Hoskins, and made up of Cabinet Ministers, Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) and external experts, will re-convene in the new year and continue the important work of guiding and monitoring the implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy.
- The Commission for the Review of Social Assistance will conclude in June 2012, and we look forward to receiving their recommendations for a more responsive, coordinated and transparent social services system.
- In January 2012, we will reduce the average tuition by 30 per cent for full-time undergraduate college and university students whose families earn less than $160,000 per year to keep postsecondary education within their reach.
- The Not-For-Profit Corporation Act, 2010 will come into force in 2012, and benefit many organizations across the province, including those providing food, employment and housing assistance.
- Ontario's innovative Social Venture Exchange will launch in early 2012 to help strengthen the social enterprise sector and, in turn, further the goals of the Poverty Reduction Strategy.
- We will continue implementing Ontario's Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, supported by investments that will grow to $93 million a year by 2013-14, to improve outcomes for kids struggling with mental health issues
- Implementation of Full-Day Kindergarten will continue expanding to reach approximately 120,000 students in 2012-13, with the goal of achieving full provincewide implementation by 2014.
- We will continue to listen and work with all Ontarians as we develop the next stage of our strategy.