‘Press pause’: Some GTA private daycare centres protest at Queen’s Park over funding changes

Some private daycare operators in the GTA were closed Tuesday as dozens gathered at Queen’s Park to protest the new funding formula for the $10-a-day childcare program.

The protest involved dozens of private daycare operators who are currently participating in the national program and are concerned about the upcoming funding changes in Ontario.

The current program has cut costs for parents in half, but operators say the changes planned by the Ford government will limit funding, which could force some to go out of business.

Earlier this week, Jacky Sheppard with the Private Operators Group (POG) said the federal funding formula would change in January from revenue replacement, meaning they were paid back some of the revenue loss associated with the cheaper daycare, to cost-based funding, with profits capped at eight per cent.

Sheppard told CityNews that an awareness campaign has been ongoing for the last two weeks, and they’ve offered options to daycare operators to participate, including potential closures.

Many of the daycare operators at Tuesday’s rally said with the new funding model, the province would have complete control over their day-to-day operations and be able to dictate how and where they spend their money. They’re calling for the government to subsidize and fund parents as opposed to operators.

The cost-based system could also mean scaling back enhanced learning and engagement programs. Some daycares would simply opt out of the national program, which would mean double or triple the fees that parents pay.

Zoe Prassoulis, who runs a daycare centre in Vaughan and organized Tuesday’s rally, said the changes could mean operators will have to constantly get government permission for expenses.

She also said many operators may have to downgrade their offerings or opt out of the national daycare program.

“It’s really important that there’s a pause on this. Otherwise, there’s going to be a real awakening for families and what they’re going to see when and if this program rolls out. You will see closures, you will see underfunded centers, and you will see low quality,” Prassoulis said.

In Toronto, more than 1,000 licensed daycares have opted into the program, and 324 of those are commercial sites. Any centre that withdraws would see parent fees double or even triple.

Sheppard said they have heard from over 50 centres that they will withdraw from the program if nothing changes.

A Minister of Education spokesperson said in a statement that the new funding formula “is consistent across the province and funds operators based on the true costs of operating childcare.”

“For this national program to fully succeed, the federal government needs to provide more funding to support parents and operators.”

A rally is also being planned for Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday.

With files from Meredith Bond, CityNews