Ontario boosting child-care subsidies, reducing wait lists
Funding from province and feds should help 1,000 more Ottawa children access daycare
New funding from the provincial and federal governments will increase child-care subsidies for families in Ottawa.
The boost would also reduce the number of families waiting to get subsidized placements for children aged six and younger, according to a media release from the Ontario government.
The funding is aimed at allowing 1,000 more children to find placements in child-care centres and daycares around the city. Funding will increase to $87 million, up from about $75 million last year, according to the release.
"Parents work hard to provide for their families and make ends meet, which is why access to affordable child care is so important," Mayor Jim Watson said at the event.
Members of all three levels of government were in Ottawa to make the announcement on Friday.
The injection of funding comes as Ontario is pushing to create 100,000 more child-care spaces, with help from the federal government.
Before the announcement, advocates had criticized the province for failing to help parents find licensed placements for their young children.