Child-Care In Ontario

History of Child Care in Ontario

1881: The Crèche was established by J.L. Hughes in the Toronto public school system (now Victoria Day Care Services).

The Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) at the Centre for Urban and Community Studies at the University of Toronto began function in the early 1980s in reply to a need for information and public educational assets in the child care field.

1887:The Toronto kindergarten was accomplished in 1887 for children aged 3 - 7 year olds making Ontario the first to influence the world to make kindergarten as a part of the public school system.

1926: The University Institute of Child Study and its laboratory school (St. George 's Nursery) in Toronto was established to educate nursery school teachers.
(http://www.childcarecanada.org/pt98/on/on6.html)

1996: The Elimination of the alternative method that allowed child care staff to benefit from The Pay Equity Act.

A review of the child care program was conducted by the Ministry of Community and Social Services. The Ministry produced Improving Child Care in Ontario in September 1996. Its proposals included:

*Reduction of Wage Subsidy for staff in non-profit centres and resource centres;

*Minor capital (50/50 cost-shared) which included for-profit child care for the first time;

*Less frequent monitoring;

*An increase in the preschool staff/child ratio;

*An increase in the number of school-aged children permitted in regulated family day care;

*A change in cost-sharing for special needs children; and

*Introduction of user fees in resource
In Canada, regulated child care and most other early childhood services - like health, social services, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education - are under provincial jurisdiction. Each of Canada 's 12 (and with the development of Nunavut in 1999 - 13) jurisdictions has a program of regulated child care (including nursery schools) that legislates requirements for operation of services, defines the operation of services, and provides some funding arrangements. Provincial/territorial governments (with the exception of Prince Edward Island) also provide separate public kindergartens under Ministries of Education; the federal government has historically had no involvement - no funding or policy role - in elementary or secondary education. Other early childhood services like Aboriginal Head Start and Community Action Program for Children are under the aegis of, and funded by, the federal government. The range and quality of services - and families ' accessibility to them - delivered through this potpourri of early childhood care and education services varies enormously across