Some Ontario parents are breathing a sigh of relief after hearing that the province has signed on to join the national child-care system, meaning child-care costs will soon be going down.
“Affording rent is hard enough; rent and child care is pretty much everything you would make,” says mother of two Meghan Fodden.
For Fodden, a single mother, the news means her monthly budget will go that much further.
“To be able to afford it would be amazing,” Fodden continues.
While the announcement comes years too late for Wessam Ayed whose children are now grown, the mother of three says she’s happy to hear about the new care program.
“It will have a great impact in regards to people trying to connect with the labour force in Canada,” Ayed says.
She immigrated to Canada a decade ago and believes this child-care system will make it easier for families like hers.
“And also from an employer’s perspective as well, I guess that would be of great help to employers” says Ayed. “Especially to kind of combat the labour shortage that we are facing especially after the COVID.”
Anthony Denuif says he and his partner were lucky to have great child care when they both worked in the oil fields out west, and he hopes the new program will help others find quality child-care spaces that are affordable.
“We were very fortunate in the sense that where he was staying, he was in a very, very good, safe environment,” says Denuif.
“That was kind of a blessing, but by the same token, a child-care benefit would’ve helped us a lot.”
April 1 marks the first decrease of 25 per cent in child-care costs, followed by an additional 25 per cent in December, giving parents something to look forward to soon.
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