Report To: Program Planning Committee
From: Lori Clark, Director of Integrated Human Services
Amy Winnington-Ingram, Integrated Human Services Manager
Date: February 19, 2025
Re: Ontario’s Early Years and Child Care Annual Report and Licensed Child Care Data Profiles 2024
Purpose
To provide the Board with an update on the 2024 Annual Report and the Licensed Child Care Data Profiles, encompassing both Provincial and local data.
Background
Each year the Ministry of Education releases a report providing a comprehensive insights at the provincial, service system manager and First Nations community levels. In April 2024, the Board approved an Issue Report which provided an overview of the 2023 provincial annual report and data profiles. Staff will continue to provide annual updates as the province releases the information. The data shared is an essential tool for service system planning and enhancing our understanding of the early years and child care system.
Overview
The data profiles highlight the growth and evolution of the licensed child care system in the Manitoulin-Sudbury District over time. Key highlights include:
• There are a total of 15 licensed child care centres, all of which are not-for-profit.
• The distribution of spaces in the region across age groups shows the highest number in the school-age group (337 spaces), followed by preschool (170 spaces), kindergarten (124 spaces), toddler (100 spaces), and infant (46 spaces). There are also 120 spaces allocated for the family age group.
• The total number of licensed child care spaces in 2023-24 is 897, representing a significant increase from 530 spaces reported in 2014-15, marking a 69% increase. The total provincial increase is 47%.
• Of the 897 licensed child care spaces, 638 are English and 259 are French, with French-only spaces making up 29% of the total. In comparison, the provincial average for French-only spaces is 7%.
• Comparing the percentage increase from 2022-23 to 2023-24, there was a 2% increase in total spaces, indicating a stable growth rate, the increase was the same provincially.
• While the number of licensed child care centres opened and closed varied over the years, there was no net change in the number of centres from 2019-20 to 2023-24 in the Manitoulin Sudbury region.
• The number of approved homes remained unchanged at 10 from 2022-23 to 2023-24. However, the number of open homes in the region varied throughout 2024.
Licensed child care serious occurrences in the Manitoulin-Sudbury District showed significant improvement in 2022-23 and 2023-24 compared to the past decade. Our region experienced a 43% decrease in serious occurrences, while the provincial decline was 15% over the same period.
Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care
Ontario and Canada signed the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) Agreement in 2022, aiming to reduce child care fees to an average of $10 per day by 2025-26 while prioritizing access, quality, inclusion, and system transparency. Throughout 2023-24, Ontario made considerable progress in implementing CWELCC, collaborating with stakeholders, refining funding guidelines, and expanding child care spaces.
Key milestones included the finalization of space creation targets (May 2023), workforce strategy updates to support Registered Early Childhood Educators (November 2023), and the release of cost-based funding guidelines (August 2024), effective January 2025. As of March 31, 2024, 92% of licensed child care spaces for children aged 0-5 were enrolled in CWELCC, including 100% of licensed spaces in our region, reflecting strong system-wide participation.
In our district, fees are notably lower compared to the median range of $36.95 per day for infants and $31.97 per day for toddlers in 2024. The Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB’s infant fees stand at $17.55 per day, while preschool care fees are $12.50 per day.
Professional Development
The Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board is dedicated to fostering an affordable, accessible, and accountable child care system that supports social and economic development. Guided by How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years, our region offers high-quality programs that engage children, parents, and caregivers. We prioritize professional development to build a skilled, responsive, and inclusive workforce. Through capacity-building funding for various staff members, including cooks, finance personnel, directors, and educators, we offer workshops, training, mentoring, and ongoing quality enhancement programs. These efforts promote reflective practice, collaboration, and a high-quality, diverse child care system.
In 2024, Canada and Ontario invested in professional development, ensuring ongoing access to learning opportunities that support staff growth and job satisfaction. Incorporating mental health resources, these initiatives strengthen relationships and improve the experiences of children, educators, and families, fostering a greater sense of well-being and a more effective workforce.
EarlyON Child and Family Centres
EarlyON Child and Family Centre programs and services continue to be delivered through various methods to support the diverse needs of families, including mobile, virtual, and outdoor programming. As of June 28, 2024, there are 770 main EarlyON Child and Family Centre locations and 488 mobile/satellite locations across the province.
In our district, we have purchase-of-service agreements with providers operating 4 main sites and 12 mobile/satellite sites. French-language programming is available in Sudbury North, Lacloche, and Sudbury East, while Indigenous-led programming is offered throughout the district. Additionally, all main sites provide extended hours, including evenings and weekends, to enhance accessibility for families.
From 2022 to 2023, the province saw a 67% increase in child visits. In our region, the number of visits grew by 57%, reflecting a significant rise in engagement with EarlyON programs.
Early Years Developmental health and well-being (EDI)
The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a research tool developed by the Offord Centre for Child Studies and McMaster University. It is used to measure children’s ability to meet age-appropriate developmental expectations. If a child’s score is below the 10th percentile cut off from the Ontario population on any of the five domains (physical health & wellbeing (PHWB), social competence, emotional maturity, language & cognitive development, and communication skills & general knowledge), they are said to be vulnerable on that scale of development. The average age of children included in the analysis was 5.9 years old.
Cycle 6 (2022/23) took place later in the school year and it is important to acknowledge the potential impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had on Cycle 6 EDI. Additional information is available from the Offord Centre for Child Studies.
• The general vulnerability rate of the Manitoulin Sudbury area of 27.3% similar to what is observed in Ontario at 31.1%.
• Compared to Cycle 5 (2017/18) all domains showed no meaningful change in vulnerability except for PHWB, which had a decrease.
Conclusion
This report provides a detailed overview and analysis of key trends within Ontario’s child care sector, offering valuable insights to inform future planning and policy development. Moving forward, staff will keep the Board informed with regular updates on the early years and child care system, highlighting important data and performance indicators.