Bruce County Council had a chance to discuss a report about childcare in the region.
The report was partly based on a community engagement survey that had 600 local parents and guardians respond, as well as more than 40 licensed childcare service providers.
Children Services Manager Gillian Andrews says that the report was part of a requirement from the Child Care Services and Early Years Act (2014), which says that childcare plans must be reviewed at least every five years.
“When the expansion funding program launched mid-year 2023, staff developed an expansion information and funding application in an online portal that you can find on the Bruce County website,” says Andrews. “By year end, we had flowed funding to support the creation of 136 net new spaces, that are now operational.”
She says that as of today, Bruce County Children Services has supported the creation of 52 school-based spaces, 107 non-profit spaces, and 214 for-profit spaces.
“We’re currently sitting at 373 net new spaces to be operational before 2026,” says Andrews.
The purpose of a child care plan is to support and encourage sustainable growth to increase access to childcare and early years programs in communities.
She says that although the county has done good work to meet provincial targets, more spaces are going to be required.
The Province also requires a 70:30 ratio of non-profit to for-profit childcare operators.
Says Andrews, “Currently, there is an indication of further applications for the non-profit childcare sector.”
Alongside the focus of expanded spaces to meet provincial targets, county staff will be focusing on the recruitment and retention Early Childhood Educators in order to operate new spaces.
Strategies that are being used to recruit staff include:
– The Be An ECE in Bruce County website
– Building relationships with guidance counsellors and speaking with students in high school
– Providing educational bursaries
– Funding an employee assistance program for existing childcare staff
– Advocacy for ECE and licensed childcare staff wages
– Development of resource toolkits to support recruitment and retention
– Offering mentorship opportunities to support capacity building
She says that the expansion of 645 licensed childcare spaces within the county by the year 2026 needs between 100 and 130 new ECEs.