Child care subsidies feeling pressure

Growth in child population and an increase in number of low-income families are putting pressure on funding for child care fee subsidies in York Region.

In 2006, an average of 3,264 children were subsidized per month by the Region. There are 24,994 licensed centrebased and 640 home-based child care spaces in York.

While the number of spaces covered by purchase of service agreements has increased, the percentage of all licensed spaces for which provincial child care fee subsidy is available has decreased from 17 per cent to 10.4 per cent between 1999 and 2006.

As a result, the Region reports the current level of provincial funding for fee subsidy does not meet the community needs.