|
2. EARLY LEARNING - 1ST YEAR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN PETITE ENFANCE – PLAN DE
MISE EN ŒUVRE DE LA 1RE ANNÉE |
Committee RecommendationS AS AMENDED
That
Council:
1.
Approve
the draft City of Ottawa 2010/11 Child Care Service System Plan attached as
Document 1 to be submitted to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services by
June 30, 2010.
2.
Recommend
to the Ministry of Education / Ministry of Children and Youth Services the
draft allocation of $596,300 of Early Learning Stabilization Funds to the child
care community as appended to the Child Care Service System Plan.
3.
Dedicate
as much as may be necessary of the $1,000,000 million in the approval 2010
budget to cover any funding shortfall by the Province in Year One.
4.
Implement
the creation of eight (8) child care service areas for census data collection
and service planning to assist in the local planning and implementation of The
Full Day Early Learning Program as attached in Document 2.
5.
Request
that the Province accelerate the funding of the previously announced Provincial
funding of $53 million to be expended over ten years to commit to a new
timeline over the next five years.
6.
Direct
staff to conduct broad consultations with all Child Care Networks, agencies
individually and that the most important stakeholders in childcare – the
parents be consulted in the future.
7.
Direct
staff to prepare a template for agencies identifying all of the information
that should be gathered by the agencies in submitting a business plan to the
City and that requests for “submissions of business plans” together with this
template be provided to all agencies well in advance of the Year 2
implementation deadline.
8.
Direct
staff to consider possible financial systems that would result in sustaining
Child Care Centres as stable organizations in high needs neighbourhoods.
9.
Direct
staff to develop key messages and communication plans around Full Day Learning
and Child Care issues.
RecommandationS MODIFIÉES DU Comité
Que le Conseil :
1. approuve l’ébauche du Plan des
services de garde d’enfants de la Ville d’Ottawa pour 2010-2011, fournie en
pièce jointe sous le nom Document 1,
qui devra être présentée au ministère des Services à l’enfance et à la jeunesse
au plus tard le 30 juin 2010;
2. recommande aux ministères de
l’Éducation et des Services à l’enfance et à la jeunesse d’allouer un montant
provisoire de 596 300 $ au fonds de stabilisation de l’apprentissage
à temps plein pour les services de garde d’enfants, comme le propose l’annexe
du Plan des services de garde d’enfants;
3. utilise le budget d’un million de
dollars approuvé pour 2010 dans la mesure nécessaire pour combler tout manque
de fonds provinciaux au cours de l’année 1;
4. établir huit (8) secteurs de
services de garde d’enfants pour que la collecte de données de recensement et
la planification des services contribuent à la planification et à la mise en
œuvre du Programme d’apprentissage des jeunes enfants à temps plein, fourni en
pièce jointe sous le nom Document 2;
5. demande à la province d’accélérer le
versement du financement de 53 millions initialement accordé sur une
période de dix ans et de concentrer l’octroi de cette somme sur les cinq
prochaines années;
6. demande au personnel qu’il mène une
vaste consultation auprès de chaque réseau et organisme de services de garde
d’enfants et qu’à l’avenir, il consulte les intervenants les plus importants
dans ce domaine, soit les parents;
7. demande au personnel qu’il prépare
un modèle pour indiquer aux services de garde l’information à inclure dans les
plans opérationnels qu’ils désirent présenter à la Ville, et qu’il envoie à ces
derniers ce modèle ainsi qu’une demande de présentation de plan opérationnel
bien avant la date limite de mise en œuvre pour l’année 2;
8. demande au personnel qu’il envisage
l’utilisation de systèmes financiers qui permettraient de soutenir et de
renforcer la présence de garderies dans les quartiers ayant d’importants
besoins sur ce plan;
9. demande au personnel qu’il élabore
des messages clés et des plans de communication concernant les problèmes liés
aux services de garde d’enfants et à l’apprentissage à temps plein.
Documentation
1. Deputy City Manager's report, City
Operations dated 24 June 2010 (ACS2010-COS-CSS-0012).
2. Extract of Draft Minutes, 29 June
2010.
Report to/Rapport au:
Community and Protective Services Committee
Comité des services communautaires et de protection
and Council / et au Conseil
Submitted by/Soumis par:
Steve Kanellakos, Deputy
City Manager/Directeur municipal adjoint,
City
Operations/Opérations municipales
Contact Person/Personne ressource:
Aaron Burry, General Manager/ Directeur général,
Community and Social Services /
Services communautaires et sociaux
(613) 580-2424 x x23666, Aaron.Burry@ottawa.ca
SUBJECT:
|
|
|
|
|
OBJET :
|
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Community and Protective
Services Committee recommend that Council:
1.
Approve
the draft City of Ottawa 2010/11 Child Care Service System Plan attached as
Document 1 to be submitted to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services by
June 30, 2010.
2.
Recommend
to the Ministry of Education / Ministry of Children and Youth Services the
draft allocation of $596,300 of Early Learning Stabilization Funds to the child
care community as appended to the Child Care Service System Plan.
3.
Approve
the allocation of up to $550,000 of the $1,000,000 allocation of municipal funds
as outlined in this report.
4.
Implement
the creation of eight (8) child care service areas for census data collection
and service planning to assist in the local planning and implementation of The
Full Day Early Learning Program as attached in Document 2.
Que le Comité des
services communautaires et de protection recommande au Conseil :
1.
D’approuver le plan provisoire du Système des services de garde
d’enfants 2010-2011 de la Ville d’Ottawa (document 1 ci-joint) en vue de le
soumettre au ministère des Services à l’enfance et à la jeunesse d’ici au
30 juin 2010.
2.
De recommander au ministère de l’Éducation / ministère des Services à
l’enfance et à la jeunesse d’affecter 596 300 $ du Fonds de
stabilisation pour l’apprentissage précoce au plan du Système des services de
garde d’enfants.
3.
D’approuver l’affectation d’autant que 550 000 $ de la somme
de 1 000 000 $ affectée aux fonds municipaux, comme le décrit ce
rapport.
4.
De créer huit (8) zones de services de garde d’enfants aux fins de la
collecte de données de recensement et de la planification des services, de
sorte à faciliter la planification et la mise en œuvre du Programme
d’apprentissage préscolaire à temps plein (document 2 ci-joint).
This report contains
information on the Child Care Service System Plan (CCSSP) 2010-11, which is
attached as Document 1 for Council approval.
Each year, the City of Ottawa as the Consolidated Municipal Service
Manager (CMSM) is required to develop a Child Care System Service Plan for the
Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
The Province provides annual guidelines for the development of each
plan, and each year has a unique focus and priority. The primary focus of the CCSSP 2010-11 is the
implementation of the new provincial Full Day Early Learning Program (FDELP).
The Province issued guidelines for the preparation of the 2010 CCSSP in May of
this year and the City must have the plan approved by City Council and
submitted to the Province by June 30, 2010.
This report provides an
update on the implementation of the
The Province has also
provided stabilization funding intended for community non-profit licensed child
care agencies. The stabilization funding allocation from the Province for the
The one-time minor capital
grants funds are intended to help mitigate the impacts that Full Day Early Learning
will have on children and parents as agencies shift their services to provide
care to alternate age groups that will be served through the child care
system. CMSMs across the Province are to
make allocation recommendations for the one-time minor capital grants to the
Province for their respective communities.
The Province has established very strict criteria for how these grants
are to be allocated. The Ministry of Children and Youth Services will review
the City of Ottawa recommendations and give final approval for the allocation
of these funds to community agencies.
For the first
year the recommendations call for the maximum use of the stabilization funding
of $485,100 in operating funds and $111,200 in minor capital funds. The City received 41 requests for stabilization funds totalling $3.4M. This
amount reflects $2.9M in operating funding, $318K in one-time minor
capital funding and $204K in other
one-time costs associated with planning and communication strategies related to
increasing agencies’ visibility in the community. The
need for stabilization funding in the
The report outlines a
strategy for utilizing from $330,000 up to $550,000 of the $1 million in one
–time 100% municipal funding. City staff is recommending the balance of the
municipal funds be allocated over the next 5 years in order to help mitigate
the impact of FDELP. The allocation of 100% municipal
funds represents a potential maximum allocation since the spending proposals
will require further consultation with agencies and the community to plan the
best response to FDELP for child care services given the restricted allocation
of funds.
The goal of the City of
Ottawa plan is to provide seamless transition of service for families and to
protect as much licensed child care in the community as demand warrants and
subsidy funding can sustain. Currently the City of
The
implementation of the FDELP by the
The Ministry of Education has assumed responsibility for policy and funding for both care delivered by the school boards and for the licensed child care system, locally managed by CMSMs.
The
implementation of the FDELP will begin in September 2010 when approximately 15%
of the projected enrollment of 4 and 5 year-old children will be served through
the new system. An additional 5% of the
projected enrollment of 4 and 5 year-old children will be served within the new
system in September 2011. There is a
total projected Ottawa JK/SK enrollment in FDELP of 2,548 for 2010-2011
and of an additional 1,118 for 2011-2012. Each year an additional
increment of kindergarten children will be added to the FDELP until all
kindergarten children are served within the education system by September 2015.
Ottawa presently
has 2,123 children receiving subsidy in the JK/SK age group (34.8 % of
caseload) and another 2,117 children in the school age group (34.7 % of total
caseload), based on April 2010 data. The
transition of service from licensed child care for junior and senior
kindergarten and before and after school care to schools will potentially
impact approximately 69.5% of the current subsidized child care services
offered through the City of
Phase 2 of the Fee Subsidy
Stabilization Plan included extensive planning and data collection on where
children live, where services are located and where service waiting lists
exist. To manage this data 8 child care
service areas were created to reflect urban, suburban and rural characteristics
of the City. City staff is recommending
using these 8 service areas to assist in planning for the implementation of the
FDELP.
Le présent rapport contient des renseignements sur le plan de système
2010-2011 des services de garde d’enfants, qui est présenté à document 1 aux
fins d’approbation par le Conseil. Tous les ans, la Ville d’Ottawa, en tant que
gestionnaire des services municipaux regroupés (GSMR), doit élaborer un tel
plan et le soumettre au ministère des Services à l’enfance et à la jeunesse. Le
gouvernement de l’Ontario, en plus de fournir chaque année les lignes
directrices aiguillant ce processus, détermine la priorité qui doit être mise
de l’avant. Ainsi, le plan 2010-2011 porte essentiellement sur la mise en œuvre
du nouveau programme provincial d’apprentissage des jeunes enfants à temps
plein. Les lignes directrices présidant à son élaboration ont été diffusées en
mai par le gouvernement de l’Ontario. La Ville d’Ottawa doit veiller à ce qu’il
ait été approuvé par le Conseil municipal et soumis à la province d’ici le
30 juin 2010.
Le présent rapport fait le point sur l’implantation du programme
d’apprentissage des jeunes enfants à temps plein mis sur pied par le
gouvernement de l’Ontario et décrit ses incidences connues sur les
établissements de services de garde autorisés de la Ville d’Ottawa. Cependant,
bien qu’il soit fondé sur les plus récentes informations disponibles. Enfin, le
rapport expose également l’état actuel du financement des services de garde
d’enfants et explique en quoi la mise en œuvre du programme provincial
complique la donne. Il aborde en outre en quoi ces nouveaux paramètres
changeront substantiellement le rôle joué par la Ville d’Ottawa en matière de
prestation de services, tout en donnant des détails sur la manière dont le
personnel de la Ville entend atténuer l’impact qu’auront ces bouleversements
sur les familles et les enfants qui profitent actuellement des services de
garde autorisés, ainsi que sur ceux qui les fournissent.
Le gouvernement de l’Ontario a prévu un financement de stabilisation
destiné aux agences communautaires sans but lucratif offrant des services de
garde d’enfant autorisés. Le financement accordé à la communauté d’Ottawa
s’élève à 596 300 $, soit 485 100 $ pour les fonds de
fonctionnement et 111 200 $ pour les subventions uniques aux fins
d’immobilisations mineures. Les fonds de fonctionnement seront compris dans le budget des subventions
municipales pour frais de garde afin d’aider la transition vers le nouveau programme
d’apprentissage des jeunes enfants à temps plein. Ces fonds ont pour
but d’atténuer les répercussions qu’aura le programme sur les enfants et leurs
parents, les agences devant transformer leurs services de manière à ne desservir
que les groupes d’âge exclus du nouveau système. Les GSMR de partout en
province doivent maintenant faire des recommandations relatives à son
affectation dans leurs communautés respectives. Or, le gouvernement a établi
des critères très stricts afin d’encadrer l’affectation des subventions. Le
ministère des Services à l’enfance et à la jeunesse examinera donc
attentivement les recommandations de la Ville avant d’avaliser par son
approbation finale l’octroi de fonds aux agences.
Dans ses recommandations pour la première année
de mise en œuvre, la Ville indique que le financement de stabilisation, soit
les 485 100 $ consacrés au fonctionnement et les 111 200 $
aux subventions aux fins d’immobilisations mineures, devra être utilisé dans
son intégralité. Elle a déjà reçu 41 demandes se chiffrant au total à 3,4
millions, dont 2,9 millions sont liés
aux coûts de fonctionnement, 318 000 $ à des immobilisations uniques
mineures et 204 000 $ à d’autres dépenses ponctuelles associées aux
stratégies de planification et de communication visant à accroître la
visibilité des agences au sein de la communauté. Ainsi, il est clair que les
besoins des établissements de services de garde d’Ottawa dépassent largement
les fonds alloués par la province. Dans le budget de 2010, le Conseil municipal
a d’ailleurs alloué aux agences un million de dollars, sous la forme d’un
financement transitoire unique, afin qu’elles puissent mieux se préparer aux
changements à venir. Bien que des progrès aient été réalisés, les
problèmes de transition découlant de la mise en œuvre du programme
d’apprentissage des jeunes enfants à temps plein imposent une pression
financière considérable aux agences, qui sont forcées d’adapter leurs services.
À cet effet, le présent rapport présente une stratégie d’investissement pour
2010 et 2011.
Le présent rapport expose donc une stratégie permettant de n’utiliser
qu’entre 330 000 $ et 550 000 $ du financement de
transition unique d’un million provenant entièrement de la Ville d’Ottawa. Le
personnel de la Ville recommande que la balance des fonds municipaux soit
allouée au cours des cinq (5) prochaines années en vue d’aider à réduire les
répercussions du programme d’apprentissage des jeunes enfants à temps plein.
L’attribution de la totalité des fonds municipaux représente une possibilité
d’allocation maximale puisque les propositions de dépenses devront faire
l’objet de discussions plus poussées entre les organisme et la communauté en
vue d’élaborer la meilleure réponse au programme d’apprentissage des jeunes
enfants à temps plein pour les services de garde d’enfants en tenant compte des
restrictions d’allocation de fonds.
L’objectif du plan de la Ville d’Ottawa est de faire en sorte que les
familles vivent le plus harmonieusement possible la transition des services, et
de protéger autant d’établissements autorisés que possible en fonction de la
demande et des subventions. Actuellement, la Ville participe au financement des
places subventionnées à hauteur de 28,5 %, ce qui fait d’elle l’un des
seuls GSMR à investir plus que ne l’exige la formule de partage des frais
établie à 80-20. Malheureusement, on ne sait pas encore à quelle formule le
ministère de l’Éducation compte recourir maintenant que les écoles de la région
assureront la prestation des services; il est toutefois clair que le
financement qui était accordé au réseau des services de garde sera dorénavant
alloué au programme d’apprentissage des jeunes enfants à temps plein. La Ville
aidera les agences de la communauté à adapter leurs services aux enfants de 0 à
3,8 ans.
L’implantation du programme d’apprentissage des
jeunes enfants à temps plein par le gouvernement de l’Ontario aura une
incidence directe sur la prestation et l’administration de services de garde
d’enfants dans la Ville d’Ottawa. Les GSMR, dont la Ville fait partie, ne sont
désormais responsables que des services offerts aux enfants de 0 à 3,8 ans,
après quoi ceux-ci sont pris en charge par le système scolaire dès leur entrée
à la maternelle. Quant à la prestation de services aux 4 à 10 ans, la
transition, qui s’amorcera en septembre 2010, s’échelonnera sur une période de
cinq ans. Le ministère de l’Éducation supervisait auparavant l’ensemble des
questions de politiques et de financement, et ce, que les services soient
offerts par les conseils scolaires ou par le réseau géré localement par les
GSMR.
La mise en œuvre du programme d’apprentissage
des jeunes enfants à temps plein débutera en septembre 2010 : à ce moment,
15 % des enfants de quatre à cinq ans seront desservis par le nouveau
système. En septembre 2011, 5 % de plus en feront partie. On prévoit qu’à
Ottawa, 2 548 enfants fréquentant la maternelle et le jardin d’enfants
seront inscrits au programme en 2010-2011, et que ce nombre grimpera de
1 118 en 2011-2012. De nouveaux venus grossiront les rangs chaque année de
manière à ce que tous les enfants provenant de ce groupe d’âge soient desservis
par le système d’éducation d’ici septembre 2015.
À l’heure actuelle, 2 123 enfants
fréquentant la maternelle ou le jardin d’enfants (34,8 % des effectifs)
ainsi que 2 117 autres d’âge scolaire (34,7 % des effectifs) occupent
une place subventionnée, selon des données datant d’avril 2010. À Ottawa, le
fait que les écoles prennent en charge les services offerts par les
établissements autorisés à la clientèle de la maternelle et du jardin d’enfants
ainsi qu’avant et après les heures de classe risque d’avoir une incidence sur
environ 69,5 % des services de garde subventionnés à Ottawa. En plus de
forcer la Ville à gérer autrement le programme, cette transition affectera directement
toutes les agences communautaires assurant la prestation de services autorisés
et subventionnés.
La phase 2 du plan de stabilisation des subventions pour frais de garde
comprenait notamment une planification détaillée ainsi que la collecte de données
sur le lieu de résidence des enfants, l’emplacement des services et les
endroits pour lesquels il y a des listes d’attente.
Pour faciliter la récolte de ces renseignements, huit zones de services
de garde d’enfants ont été créées, de manière à rendre compte des
caractéristiques urbaines, suburbaines et rurales d’Ottawa. Le personnel de la
Ville recommande que l’on sollicite leur participation au moment de planifier
la mise en œuvre du programme d’apprentissage des jeunes enfants à temps plein.
BACKGROUND
There are
approximately 19,975 licensed child care spaces available in the City of
The fee subsidy program is the largest portion of the child care services budget. It is a cost-shared program with a total budget of approximately $61 million. The program establishes contracts with community agencies to provide licensed child care services to families that receive either a full or partial fee subsidy. The mandate for the licensed child care has been to serve children 0 – 10 years of age with child care services that meet their needs either through full day or part-time care.
The integration of early learning programs has been a key service priority for the Province through the Best Start Initiative. This provincial commitment resulted in the appointment of Dr. Charles Pascal as the Early Learning Advisor to the Premier who explored all of the elements required for effective implementation of full day early learning and presented a report to the Premier in June 2009. The Premier announced his commitment to begin implementation of full day early learning for four and five year olds by 2010.
The City of
Dr. Pascal’s report was much more visionary than expected and proposed more fundamental changes to the existing system than were expected. He recommended moving child care for school aged children to the education system. The report stated that the focus of the program should be on educational development and should be available to all children. He recommended that child care be moved to the Ministry of Education so that it was not perceived as a social service, but an integral component of child development and learning. The report also stated that services must be convenient for parents and that before and after school care should be part of the new system offered through schools where demand warranted.
In January of 2010 the Province began to release information about the implementation of the FDELP but many details were not developed or available. It was known that the program would be phased in over 5 years and implementation would begin in September 2010. The change in Ministry lead from Children and Youth Services to Education is now clear and the mandates of the school boards and CMSMs regarding the age groups they will serve respectively are now established.
The implementation by the Province of the Full Day Early Learning Program will shift the responsibility for all child care from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to the Ministry of Education. CMSMs will now be responsible for licensed child care services for children 0 – 3.8 years of age. The local Boards of Education will be responsible for Full Day Early Learning for 4-5 year olds and before and after school programs for 4-10 year olds attending school.
As Dr. Pascal’s report was being prepared, the City continued to proceed with planning for the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan. The development of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan has been undertaken in two phases. Phase 1 includes a new policy framework for how the global fee subsidy budget is managed and purchase of service agencies’ contracts are set annually. Phase 1 of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan provided a one-time base budget adjustment to address past under funding and then the new policy framework provides for on-going annual adjustments to properly maintain the system within the existing budget. Phase 1 was approved by City Council in April of 2009, with one amendment. City Council directed that staff identify a budget pressure in any year where active subsidized child care spaces would have to be recovered through attrition to fund the purchase of service rate increase in that year.
To set annual
rate increases an annual child care service price index has been developed that
determines the cost changes that affect the provision of child care services in
The development of Phase 2 of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan began
in spring 2009. The Community Advisory
Committee agreed to continue their work for the development of Phase 2 and met
several times during April and May as well as during the fall of 2009. Two
broad community consultation sessions were also held in June and December of
2009. This phase has two main parts. The
first part addressed how to strategically manage fee subsidy resources to match
demand for child care. It has included
the collection of significant demographic data on the child population in
The second part of Phase 2 of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan
addresses how to reallocate resources in the child care system, including the
use of some flexible or floating spaces. Consensus was reached with the child
care community to try and create more flexibility in the system by shifting
some fee subsidy resources from assigned funds to agencies’ to assigning funds
directly to parents. This would create
more flexibility in the system.
Although consensus exists to proceed with this change it is complicated
by the introduction of the FDELP. New
wait list criteria will need to be developed for these spaces and it is
expected that FDELP will also create additional requirements for how fee
subsidy eligibility is managed and wait list criteria is used. The second part
of Phase 2 has been put on hold pending the release of all operational
guidelines from the Province.
DISCUSSION
The
implementation of the FDELP by the
In keeping with the expansion of the Education mandate and the seamless approach for services to children the responsibility for child care services is also in the process of being transferred to the Ministry of Education. This will be fully effective by September 2010 when the Ministry of Education will be responsible for child care planning including the administration of the Day Nurseries Act and for all funding for child care services managed by CMSMs.
With the advent
of the Full Day Early Learning Program (FDELP), the City must look at the child
care programming for which it is now responsible. The FDELP will transfer
responsibility for the care of 4 and 5 years olds to the Ministry of Education
over a five year period, starting in 2010.
Responsibility for before and after school care for all children 4 to 10
years old will be transferred by 2015. This will leave the City with the
responsibility for children 0-3.8 years of age.
There are presently 1322 children aged 0-3.8 years of age on the
Centralized Waiting List awaiting a subsidized space. In order to meet this demand fully, the child
care system in
The implementation of the FDELP will begin in September 2010 when approximately 15% of 4 and 5 year-old children, based on projected enrollment, will be served through the new system. An additional 5% of 4 and 5 year old children will be served within the new system in September 2011. There is a total projected Ottawa JK/SK enrollment in FDELP of 2,548 for 2010-2011 and of an additional 1,118 for 2011-2012.
Each year an additional increment of kindergarten children will be added to the FDELP until all kindergarten children are served within the education system by September 2015. In Year 1, the potential impact on the 4-5 year old subsidized children is estimated at 320 children for a potential financial impact of $1.8 million in the child care funding envelop, based on a 15% enrollment.
The impacts of the implementation of FDELP on subsidized child care services are still not fully known. The educational component of the day for 4 and 5 year olds will be funded by the Ministry of Education. Parents who choose to enroll their children in before and after school care will be assessed an additional fee for this service. The level of additional fees, the role of the City and the details of how families will continue to access subsidy for the optional program still need to be announced by the Province.
There are many questions
that remain unanswered regarding the implementation of the FDELP and
municipalities across
The school
boards in
The Province has
provided funding for local communities to support community non-profit child
care agencies through the transition of implementation of the FDELP. Community
child care agencies will have to adjust their programs and services, especially
those offering kindergarten and school-aged care. Some agencies will have more time than others
to adjust their services depending upon which year schools in their area begin
offering the FDELP. It is expected that
some child care programs will close.
The City of
The CMSMs received very
strict guidelines that they must adhere to regarding allocation recommendations
for these funds. They include that:
·
Funding should
focus on the need of children and families in the community rather than
operators and is not to be used for system expansion;
·
Funding is to
support the refocusing of child care services for children zero to four years
old, as four and five-year olds move to the ELP from child care;
·
Funding should be
used to support the viability of child care operators that were identified to
be impacted by Phase 1 of the Early Learning Program implementation in
September 2010;
·
Consistent with
previous ministry investment, minor capital funds are only for not-for-profit
child care centres;
·
Funding should be
prioritized for centres that do not have the capacity to access funds through
other means; and,
·
Funding should be
prioritized for those communities and neighbourhoods at greatest risk of losing
a significant portion of their licensed child care capacity.
The guidelines also suggest
that CMSM staff should look at the quality of the program and the licensing
history when making recommendations.
The City of
· Organization History and Financial Profile: Agency’s brief history reflecting current programs and services. The organization has successfully demonstrated agency’s financial stability thru supporting documents for consideration of the project proposal. (If not already on file with Children’s Services Branch, please provide)
·
Environmental Scan: Extent of neighbourhood vulnerability level and to
which the community is at risk of losing licensed child care services. The
overall impact of ELP on child care services in the surrounding
neighbourhoods/community. Centralized
waiting list information for spaces in Sept2010, the need for subsidized spaces. (Community profile/data information provided
by the City of
· Financial Viability: Operator’s financial requirements to stabilize their child care agency and capacity to sustain on-going operational support and needs under ELP. Sustainability of programs and services according to agency’s financial budget and reserves under ELP. Number of new sustainable programs for children 0-4 years old required meeting community need. Ability to recruit full fee paying parents. Amount of required transition funding. Long-term plan for financial viability.
· Proposal Feasibility: Extent to which the agency has demonstrated adequate
financial and human resources for successful implementation of project proposal
according to DNA and by Aug. 27th, 2010.
· Enhances the
Child Care System: The extent to
which the agency programs and services meets community needs including
childcare options such as flex care, extended hours, weekend care.
· Child Care
Facility: Extent to which the
agency’s livelihood depends on facility, space status. Agency’s physical space support ELP.
· Other funding source:
Extent to which the agency is expected to access other funding sources through
other means. In the affirmative, the
name of other funding source, funding amount, and application status (pending
or approved) is requested.
·
Readiness to
Proceed: Agency’s business plan
reflecting feasibility for implementation of project proposal within timeframe.
Proposed project timetable confirming completion for implementation by August
27, 2010.
The City assessed requests
based on these criteria and then specifically on the plans that the child care
program outlined in their application for funds and their ability to
demonstrate that they will be viable once the FDELP is fully implemented. The Province was very clear that centres that
won’t be viable in future years once full implementation of FDELP is complete
should not be considered for these stabilization funds.
The City facilitated an information session
on the FDELP for the child care community on April 27th at the Nepean
Sportsplex. Ministry of Education (MOE)
and Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) and local school board staff
was in attendance. This was a general
information session on the FDELP and an opportunity for agencies to ask
questions.
Since that time the details regarding funding
and the guidelines for the provincial stabilization funding were released. City staff has set up a number of meetings
with specific groups in the child care community. On May 28th staff
met with licensed home child care agencies. City staff held a meeting on May 31st
with the 10 community child care agencies that currently operate programs in
schools that will offer the FDELP in September 2010. On June 3rd, City staff also met
with the 21 child care programs that operate in the catchment area of schools
that will offer FDELP in September 2010.
These meetings were held to update agencies on the FDELP and then
explain the stabilization funding and the application process. The goal of the
meetings was also to raise awareness in the child care sector of potential
impacts to agencies in the community that the FDELP could potentially have on
them.
The City recognizes that timelines are very
short for agencies to complete funding applications. Unfortunately the City does not control these
timelines and is experiencing the same time pressures as community
agencies. The City provided community
non-profit licensed child care agencies with 10 working days to prepare grant
application requests.
City staff received a total of 41
applications for stabilization funding from a total of 30 community
non-profit child care agencies affected by the first year of implementation of
the FDELP. These proposals total $3.4 M.
This amount reflects $2.9M in operating funding, $318K in
one-time minor capital funding and
$204K in other costs associated with planning and communication strategies
related to increasing agencies’ visibility in the community. Recommendations
for the allocation of funding to community child care agencies will be forwarded
to the MCYS and MOE at the
City staff is also looking at agency
proposals that would require a one-time infusion of operating costs as part of
their long-term planning exercise to adapt to the new service delivery to 0 –
3.8 year old children.
Municipal Child Care Centres
Operating in Schools
The City of
The Bayshore Kindergarten School Age Program
operates in
Bayshore Kindergarten School Age Program does
not serve children 0-3.8 years, but two other municipal centres nearby do offer
services for children 0-3.8 years of age.
Unfortunately the waiting lists in the Bayshore neighbourhood do not
indicate a demand for service but staff believes that this is not an accurate
reflection of the need in the community.
As part of the City’s planning for child care services for children
0-3.8 years of age the City will pay special attention to the Bayshore area and
all high risk areas of the City to ensure they are adequately served with the
resources available.
In the City of Ottawa 2010
budget, $1,000,000 of 100% municipal funding was approved to support the
continuity of services to parents as provincial programs changed. Originally it was anticipated that the end of
Best Start funding would create a gap in service but with the Province
reinstating the funding in the municipal child care budget this is not
necessary. It is now evident that with
the implementation of the FDELP the same need will exist is the community to
support families and communities as services are transferred from licensed
child care to the FDELP. Staff is
therefore recommending that the funds be used to support the continuity of
services for families and communities as the FDELP is implemented.
City staff can only do
limited planning until it is clear how the child care budget and specifically
the subsidy budget will be impacted by the FDELP. Staff needs to know what budget will be
available to serve children 0-3.8 years of age. How fee subsidy eligibility for
parents is determined and the requirements for wait list management criteria
for approved families will be affected by FDELP. How subsidies are provided to parents may
also require changes to how the City contracts with child care agencies to
provide fee subsidies. It is anticipated that the City will at minimum need to
make changes to current operating procedures but how significant these changes
will be is still unknown.
It is anticipated that
almost every community non-profit child care program will have to develop a new
business plan based on serving only children 0-3.8 years of age, at the latest,
by the end of the five year implementation period. Per Diem costs for younger children are
higher predominantly because of higher staff to child ratios. The City
anticipates that it will have to approve a new service contract with most child
care agencies. The City will not be able to establish new service protocols
with agencies until the global fee subsidy budget is negotiated with the
Province. The municipal transition
funding will allow the City to purchase interim services from agencies to
provide continuity of care.
Once the City knows how
much funding will be in the fee subsidy budget for 0-3.8 year olds planning can
begin for service level targets for areas of the City based on population and
waiting list information. Then the City
can discuss new service configurations with community agencies.
As part of Phase 2 of the
To manage the data service
areas were created to sort the data and compare areas. City wards were used as the building blocks
to create service areas since the City already manages data according to wards
and can adjust census track information into wards. City staff, with the Phase 2 community
advisory committee looked at many models for grouping wards into service areas
based on common geographic characteristics.
Eight service areas have been created that represent rural, suburban and
urban areas of the City. These 8 service
areas create balanced population groupings and best reflect how neighbourhoods
access child care services. They are
attached to this report as Document 2.
This report recommends
proceeding with the use of the 8 service areas that will form the basis for data
collection and management and help to ensure geographic and linguistic equity
as services are planned for children 0-3.8 years of age.
The creation of the 8 child
care service areas and the data collection will support the planning for the
FDELP and the implementation of child care services for children 0-3.8 years of
age. It could also create a framework
and tool to manage data for wait list management criteria. Usually the home address of a family provides
one index that is used to manage wait lists for subsidized care. This ensures that new spaces are distributed
across the City in an equitable manner.
City staff will continue to
work with the Province, the MOE, the MCYS, the local school boards and
community child care agencies to support the needs of families to receive care
for their children through this transition.
As the required information becomes available staff will develop a plan
to serve children 0-3.8 years of age with quality licensed child care services
according to the City’s new mandate.
RURAL IMPLICATIONS
The child care system serves children and families across the City of
How it affects access to licensed child care for children 0 – 4 years is
not known at this time. Staff will work
with the community to try and ensure that they have equitable access to
licensed child care.
CONSULTATON
City staff has
worked closely with the child care community on the development of Phase Two of
the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan. As
part of that planning process 8 service areas were created to support data
management and planning of child care services across the City of
City staff has held a number of community information sessions on the Full Day Early Learning Program. A general information session was held with the Province and school boards for the child care community. City staff has also held specific information sessions with agencies that will be affected by Year 1 implementation of the FDELP to advise them of the stabilization grants, the criteria and approval process.
Given the strict deadlines associated with filing a draft copy of the Child Care Services plan with the Province, staff was unable to undertake comprehensive consultations with the childcare community or City Advisory Committees as part of the development of this report. Copies of this report and notice of the Committee date have been forwarded the Chair and members of the Health and Social Services Advisory Committee; the Poverty Issues Advisory Committee, and; the French Language Services Advisory Committee. Children’s Services Branch is committed to working with the child care community and City Advisory Committees as the Child Care Services is refined and clarified over the course of the coming months.
COMMENTS BY WARD COUNCILLOR
Not applicable as this is a city-wide report.
LEGAL / RISK MANGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
There are no legal risk management impediments to
implementing any of the recommendations in this report.
CITY STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
City Strategic Direction – Priority E. Sustainable Healthy and Active
City
TECHNICAL
IMPLICATIONS
There are no technical implications associated with
implementing any of the recommendations of this report.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no anticipated incremental costs associated
with this report.
Early Learning Stabilization Funds are 100%
provincially funded grants that will be approved by the Ontario Ministry of
Education. Childcare’s operating
expenditure budget will be increased by $485,100 with an offsetting increase in
provincial revenue for a net zero impact.
During the 2010 operating budget one-time municipal
funding ($1,056,000) was approved to maintain stability in the Child Care
program as a result of provincial funding reductions to the Best Start Program.
The province has since re-instated this funding and staff is recommending that
the municipal funding now be used to support the continuity of services for
families and communities as the FDELP is implemented. Childcare’s expenditure
budget will be increased on a one-time basis by $1,056,000 with an offsetting
increase in provincial revenue for a net zero impact.
SUPPORTING
DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 – City of Ottawa 2010/11 Child Care Service System Plan
Document 2 – Map of eight (8) child care service areas
Document 3 – List of Ottawa schools that will implement the FDELP in September 2010.
DISPOSTION
City Operations staff will implement any direction received as part of consideration of this report.
Document 1
2010-11 Child Care System Service Plan
Introduction
As the Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (CMSM) for child care, it is the responsibility of the City of Ottawa to plan, establish priorities and manage the child care system. The provision of child care is a provincially mandated service. The purpose of the 2010-11 Child Care System Service Plan (CCSSP) is to focus on the implementation of the Provincial Full Day Early Learning Program, which will dramatically change both the mandate of the City of Ottawa and how some children receive service. The Province of Ontario has provided some stabilization funding to support the local child care community through the transition to the new system of care and education for kindergarten and school-aged children across the Province of Ontario.
This CCSSP outlines the City of Ottawa’s allocation for provincial stabilization grants and the draft recommendations to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services for how that funding should be distributed across the community. The City of Ottawa received the guidelines for the preparation of this plan and the stabilization funding allocation and guidelines in May 2010 and the plan is to be approved by City Council and submitted to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) by June 30, 2010. This year’s service plan also provides additional information on the key issues and priorities unique to the Ottawa community and highlights key areas the City of Ottawa will be focusing on during 2010-11 in the delivery of child care services.
Operating
Principles and Priorities
A set of operating principles, that have community support, are used
locally to manage the child care system and help to ensure quality service. The
City of Ottawa continues to manage a child care system in a manner that is:
§
Accountable: by
setting standards and measures that enhance the integrity of the system through
cost-effectiveness, efficiency and quality.
§
Responsive: by
proactively and sensitively addressing ever changing political, social,
economic, linguistic and cultural needs.
§
Collaborative: by working with individuals, staff and
the community, encouraging consultation at all levels of decision making.
§ Inclusive: by working with the early learning and child care
community as well as other levels of government to provide services that are
culturally sensitive and include children with special needs.
The City of Ottawa’s Child Care program goal is to foster a high quality child care system, which promotes the well being of children, and responds to the needs of parents, caregivers and the broader community. The licensed child care system, including subsidized spaces, is designed to help children reach their full potential and achieve success in school.
The City of Ottawa will support future growth in the child care system
in the non-profit community child care sector.
The City will maintain purchase of services from the for-profit child
care sector at no more than the current level.
Child Care Service
Objectives and Priorities
The following child care service objectives were outlined in the last
three service plans, with minor modifications each year and continue to be
valid in the operation of a high quality child care system. The City of Ottawa
will, in consultation with the Ottawa Network for Children (ONC), the Regional
French Language Best Start Network, the Child Care Council of Ottawa-Carleton
and Le
Regroupement des services éducatifs à l’enfance d’Ottawa:
· Work with the community to enhance the quality of child care programs and services through a local accreditation process that will eventually be linked to purchase of service contracts;
· Participate in any new provincial initiatives to enhance quality early learning and child care programs and services;
· Address in partnership with the Province the provision of adequate funding to prevent further deterioration of the existing child care system and ensure its long term health and stability;
· Increase accessibility of child care services to all citizens throughout the City of Ottawa by creating new spaces and fee subsidies as new provincial funding is available;
· Increase financial stability in purchase of service contracts for the provision of subsidized child care;
· Promote increased access in the child care system to evening and weekend care, including more part-time care to meet the changing needs of families with a particular focus on increasing these services for Francophone families;
· Ensure appropriate accessibility of child care services for Francophone families by ensuring targets for Francophone services are met;
· Provide child care services that meet the unique needs of immigrants and newcomers;
· Identify the child care service needs of the Aboriginal and Inuit communities and develop an action plan;
· Develop opportunities with our community partners for increased program integration between the child care system and other services for children and families;
· Ensure a continuum of services exists to meet the needs of all children including children at risk and children who have special needs, within an integrated child care system; and
· Work with the Province and the College of Early Childhood Educators to address adequate salaries for qualified staff in the child care system.
Key Local Challenges and
Priorities for 2010-11
During 2010-11 the City of Ottawa has a number of challenges
and service priorities that it is endeavouring to address as it plans for the
provision of quality child care for families and children. This section is meant to provide an update on
key local activities and priorities unique to Ottawa and the plans for the next
year related to these priorities.
Francophone Child Care Services
In 2005 it was identified that there was a significant shortfall in the availability of subsidized child care spaces for the Francophone population, especially in licensed home child care services. During 2006 the Francophone Catch-up Plan was adopted by City Council to create parity in access to subsidized spaces for Anglophones and Francophones. The plan outlines principles for the development of further subsidized Francophone child care spaces as well as the types of programs that will be given priority. The total cost to implement the Francophone catch up plan was $2.3 million.
Council adopted a three year implementation plan, to begin in 2007, which required the addition of approximately $770,000 to the child care base budget each year for 3 years. Following the approval of the budget requirements for the first year of implementation, the Province announced just under $1.6 million in additional funding to the City child care budget to address funding pressures. The City has committed to apply 25% of any new provincial funds allocated for the fee subsidy budget to support parity in accessibility to subsidized spaces for the Francophone community. As such, in 2007 an additional $400,000 was applied to the implementation of new subsidized spaces for the Francophone community.
As part of the 2008 budget, City Council approved $770,000 in 100% municipal funding to implement year two of the catch-up plan. During 2008 the City also received additional fee subsidy funding from the Province. The City received approval to direct these funds to licensed home child care services, which included additional funds for Francophone licensed home child care services.
The Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ministry of Education issued in June 2008, A Proposal to Increase the Number of School–based French Language Child Care Spaces Across Ontario for Pre-school Children. The announcement was for the creation of 266 new spaces across the Province and included a call for proposals to CMSM’s. The City of Ottawa submitted a proposal to the Province and received approval for a budget for 32 spaces.
These funds have been used to create 32 new French language child care spaces at L’École des Voyageurs. In 2008-09 the allocation was $70,900 and beginning in 2009-10 the full funding for this program of $240,600 has been annualized.
The table below shows the current distribution of child care funding for subsidized spaces as well as wage subsidy and pay equity for Francophone and Anglophone programs from January 2007 to January 2010 with the investment of both municipal funding and the distribution of additional provincial funding.
Francophone
Child Care Programs - Current Distribution of Funding for Anglophone
and Francophone Child Care Programs
|
Child Care Programs |
January 2007 |
January
2008 |
January 2009 |
January 2010 |
|
Total budget Anglophone * |
61.2 M |
62.1M |
61.5M |
63.2 M |
|
% of Total Budget |
87.46% |
86.48% |
84.8% |
84.9% |
|
Total Budget Francophone* |
8.8M |
9.7M |
11.M |
11.2M |
|
% of Total Budget |
12.54 % |
13.52% |
15.2% |
15.2% |
|
Total Budget Combined |
70M |
71.8M |
72.5M |
74.5M |
* Includes available funding for subsidized spaces, pay equity and wage subsidy.
The current equity target of 14.9% was developed using the 2001 census data, which had limited language information. The new 2006 census data is now available to the City of Ottawa, which has additional language parameters. Using the new data the current equity target of 14.9% was reviewed and discussed with the Francophone community. The equity objective for access to subsidized Francophone child care spaces was reviewed in 2009 and requires adjustment. The City worked in consultation with the Francophone community to establish the correct demographic weigh for the Francophone population that appropriately captures Francophone immigrant and new Canadian families that require subsidized child care services. This ensures that the equity objective is an accurate reflection of the community so that parity is created in accessibility to child care spaces.
In order to ensure the correct demographic weigh from the 2006 census data, the definition was elaborated in two areas:
The 2006 census data with the new definitions indicated a current equity target of 15.2 %. As of January 2010, the percentage of the child care budget allocated to Francophone services is at 15.2%. The third year of funding was therefore deferred. In the scope of Phase 2 of the Stabilization report, a further precision on family income was requested and the results might change the service allocation again. The new Council will be presented with these findings for a decision as they will be incorporated in the Phase 2 report. City staff will continue to monitor funding levels and will ensure that funding for Francophone child care services is maintained at 15.2%.
With the advent of the Full Day Early Learning Program (FDELP), the City must look at the child care programming for which it is now responsible. The City will have the responsibility to plan and provide child care services for children 0-3.8 years of age. The Francophone Catch-up Plan will need to be reviewed given the change in mandate. A new equity target will need to be established and the City will need to ensure that this equity target is met for children 0-3.8 years of age. Until this work is completed the City will continue to ensure service levels for Francophone subsidized child care services remain at 15.2%
Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan
The fee subsidy program has a total budget of approximately $61 million. The program establishes contracts with community agencies to provide licensed child care services to families that receive either a full or partial fee subsidy. Over the past decade the gap between the rate the City pays agencies for a subsidized space and what a parent pays an agency for a full fee space had been widening. The City had paid only modest rate increases to try and maintain service levels for subsidized care. The gap had become too great and was placing significant financial pressure on many licensed child care agencies, which affects the quality of care that agencies can offer.
In February 2008 City Council approved that staff, in consultation with the child care community, develop a local fee subsidy stabilization plan. The new policy was to address insufficient funding in the fee subsidy portion of the child care budget for the current service level. City staff undertook extensive research into the practices of other municipalities in Ontario regarding management of the global fee subsidy budget, how annual budget increases for purchase of service agencies are established and the practices used to review and approve agency budgets.
The development of the fee subsidy stabilization plan has been
undertaken in two phases. Phase one
includes a new policy framework for how the global fee subsidy budget is
managed and purchase of service agencies’ contracts are set annually. Phase one of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization
Plan provided a one-time base budget adjustment to address past under funding
and then the new policy framework provides for on-going annual adjustments to
properly maintain the system within the existing budget.
The development of Phase
one of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan began in May 2008. A Community Advisory Committee was created to
assist City staff in the development of the plan. Broad community consultations took place in
June and September 2008. Phase one was approved by City Council in
April of 2009, with one amendment. City
Council directed that staff identify a budget pressure in any year where active
subsidized child care spaces would have to be recovered through attrition to
fund the purchase of service rate increase in that year.
Phase one of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan and new fee subsidy management policy provides annual indexed increases to the fee subsidy rates paid to community agencies. An annual child care service price index has been developed that determines the cost changes that affect the provision of child care services in Ottawa. This index was used to determine appropriate annual increases for fee subsidy rates beginning with the 2010 budget process. An annual indexed rate increase will allow community child care agencies to do budget planning in a predictable environment knowing that the City will provide annual indexed rate increases at the beginning of the year. In the past rate increase were uncertain, were not fully indexed and in some years were not finalized until November of the existing budget year.
The new fee subsidy management policy provides indexed increases to fee subsidy rates within available funding. The framework also ensures that the fee subsidy program is managed within the current levels of funding in the system and outlines the tools that will be used to make any adjustments required if available funding levels change. Phase one of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan was developed to meet the criteria established by Council that no additional municipal resources be required to implement the plan. The new City of Ottawa policy framework is consistent with the policies other municipalities have to manage the fee subsidy system within their global budgets.
For centre-based agencies base funding issues were addressed in 2009 for those agencies that meet the standard policy requirements for a fee increase and had a gap between full fee and subsidy rates in their programs. In 2009, a 2.25 percent increase was provided for per diem rates to all centre based purchase of service agencies based on their budget submissions. In 2010 the new policy was applied and an annual indexed fee subsidy rate increase of 2% was available for all centre based agencies through their budget submission process.
The cost of the implementation plan in 2009 was $1.5 million. This was funded from $1.2 million in funding approved as part of the 2009 municipal budget process and an additional $300,000 from unspent funds previously allocated for purchase of service contracts. These unspent funds are always retrieved annually to ensure funds are efficiently allocated and in the past have been reallocated through other purchase of service agencies to maintain service levels.
The policy framework approved by Council outlines a process for
managing the fee subsidy system and funding the annual rate increases. All retrieved unspent funds would first be
reallocated within the fee subsidy system to provide indexed fee subsidy rate
increases. If additional unspent funds
are available from the annual retrieval process they would be reallocated to
agencies to provide further fee subsidy services.
If the retrieval process does not deliver sufficient funds to provide
indexed fee subsidy rate increases then service will be further reduced by
withdrawing utilized spaces through attrition until sufficient funds are
available to provide the indexed rate increase.
This will ensure that the global fee subsidy budget remains balanced and
that no additional municipal resources are required. City Council approved an amendment to this
policy to direct staff to identify a budget pressure in any year where active
subsidized child care spaces would have to be recovered through attrition to
fund the purchase of service rate increase in that year. This gives Council the option of managing the
system within the existing resources or adding additional municipal funds to
maintain service levels.
In 2010 staff identified a budget pressure of $965,000. This was the amount of funding that would have been required to be retrieved from active spaces to fund the 2% per diem increase for 2010. City Council approved the additional funds and no active spaces were withdrawn from the system to provide the 2% purchase of service rate increase.
Part of Phase One of The Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan also deals with
licensed home child care agencies. The Province announced in
2008/09 budget year an additional $1.2 million in funding for the City of
Ottawa for subsidized child care services.
The Province gave the City of Ottawa special permission to apply these
funds to increase provider rates in licensed home child care services. The City’s goal was to provide a 15% increase
to licensed home child care provider rates over 2 years. The increase in provider rates is linked to
the implementation of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan.
Licensed home child care agencies received an 11% increase to their 2009 provider rates as part of the 2009 budget process, which helped to address past under funding. The additional 4% increase was included in the 2010 budget to make the final base budget adjustment to licensed home child care provider rates to meet the overall goal of a 15% increase in provider rates. The new policy will be used to adjust licensed home child care administration budgets with an annual indexed rate increase. Beginning in 2011 a standard indexed rate will be used for the licensed home child care sector for both the provider rates and administrative budgets. There may be an impact on service levels for subsidized care each year as the indexed increase is provided to agencies and higher purchase of service rates are paid out of the same global budget. Service level impacts will depend upon whether the provincial government provides an annual adjustment to the fee subsidy base budget or if any other funding becomes available in the fee subsidy budget.
Staff has worked with the
child care community on the development of Phase 2 of the Fee Subsidy
Stabilization Plan since the Spring of 2009.
The implementation of Phase 1, which focused on the stabilization of
agencies and per diem rates, has created a more solid base for the community
child care agencies to adjust to changes now underway from the FDELP. Phase 2 of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan
focuses on the broad system. The goals
of phase 2 are to ensure geographic equity to service across the City of Ottawa
and to try to increase flexibility for families. As these new goals are planned and
implemented, the City will continue to maximize utilization of funding and to
maintain equity for Francophone Services.
The Community Advisory Committee from Phase 1 agreed to continue their
work for the development of Phase 2 and met several times during April and May
as well as during the Fall of 2009. Two broad community consultation sessions
were also held in June and December of 2009.
As part of the approval for
Phase 1 City Council approved the development of a pilot project to create some
spaces that would be flexible or floating spaces assigned directly to
parents. Phase 2 has examined how
resources have been reinvested in the past, with additional purchase of
services through agencies and whether flexible-floating spaces could be used
for any reinvestment that is required.
City staff has undertaken consultations with the child care community to
shift any funds that become available. As these funds become available they
would be shifted from being assigned to agencies to being assigned to parents
when they are reinvested in the system.
In 2010 there were not sufficient funds from the retrieval process to
fund the annual indexed rate increase for purchase of service contracts and a
budget pressure was identified by staff to maintain service levels. City Council approved additional funds to
maintain fee subsidy service levels but there were therefore no additional
funds to create any flexible spaces in 2010.
Although consensus exists
to proceed with this change it is complicated by the introduction of the FDELP. New wait list criteria will need to be
developed for these spaces and it is expected that FDELP will also create
additional requirements for how fee subsidy eligibility is managed and wait
list criteria is used. The implementation of the FDELP has affected plans in
Phase 2 of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan for the introduction of some
flexible spaces assigned directly to parents.
The City of Ottawa has put this initiative on hold pending a better
understanding of the operational guidelines and impacts that the FDELP will
have on the fee subsidy system. All the
changes related to eligibility, wait list criteria and purchase of service
contracts should be planned and implemented together to ensure one transition
that is as seamless as possible for a system that will experience massive
change over the next five years.
The first part of Phase 2 of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan
addresses how to strategically manage fee subsidy resources to match demand for
subsidized child care. It has included
the collection of significant demographic data on the child population in
Ottawa as well as service and user patterns. Although services
are generally well used in the fee subsidy system, better information on
low-income families and the distribution of funding will assist service
planning. City staff undertook a
comprehensive review of where the child population lives, where the low-income
child population lives, where the services are currently located and where families
live that are currently on the waiting list for service. The current data that has been modeled is
based on 2006 census data and was used specifically to examine the best ways to
inter-relate the data.
To manage the census data
and assess geographic areas, 8 distinct child care service areas were created
to reflect urban, suburban and rural characteristics of the City. City wards were used as the building blocks
to create service areas since the City already manages data according to wards
and can adjust census track information into wards.
City staff, with the
community advisory committee looked at many models for grouping wards into
service areas based on common geographic characteristics. These 8 service areas create balanced
population groupings and best reflect how neighbourhoods access child care
services. These service areas will be
used to organize relevant data, assess areas of need and to redistribute
financial resources across the City to ensure equity of access to service.
The City is postponing the
implementation of Phase 2 due to the FDELP.
Although Phase 2 implementation has been placed on hold, the data
collected as part of Phase 2 and the data management approach will be used to
help plan for the FDELP. The City will
proceed with the creation of 8 service areas that will form the basis for data
collection and management. The
creation of the 8 child care service areas could also create a framework and
tool to manage data for wait list management criteria for flexible spaces. Usually the home address of a family provides
one index that is used to manage wait lists for subsidized care. This ensures that new spaces are distributed
across the City.
Quality
Care and Accreditation
The City of Ottawa has developed in
partnership with the Child
Care Council of Ottawa-Carleton and Le Regroupement des services éducatifs à l’enfance
d’Ottawa, a pilot project to help support the provision of quality child care in
the community. A new accreditation tool
has been developed by the City of Ottawa, in partnership with community members
that will help to guide child care agencies in enhancing quality care and
programming. The new accreditation tool
is a self-assessment done by child care agencies to assess their programs. This tool provides a guide for programs to
understand what the City of Ottawa would like agencies to include in their
programming and services to children and families. The Francophone tool was
launched in May 2009. The program
evaluation manual, Accreditation Benefits
Children, has been distributed to all licensed child care programs in
Ottawa.
The City worked with the Province and other
municipalities to expand the use of the tool to additional municipalities in
Eastern Ontario. The Eastern Ontario
Accreditation Committee has been formed and has completed a literature review
and is looking at ways to implement an accreditation program in their
area. The City of Ottawa worked with
other municipalities in Eastern Ontario to launch their accreditation tools
locally. All four Eastern Ontario CMSM’s
have launched the program evaluation manual in both English and French.
The City will work with the child care
community on the further development and use of the accreditation tool. The tool is currently being used in some
centre-based child care programs as a self-assessment tool. All licensed child care centres have a copy
of this tool Accreditation Benefits
Children in either English or French. The licensed home child care network
has undertaken to work on revising the accreditation manual to respond to the
specific needs of the licensed home child care sector.
The City of Ottawa would eventually like to
link this accreditation process with the purchase of service agreements between
agencies and the City for the provision of fee subsidies.
The program evaluation tool exceeds the
minimum standards outlined in the Day Nurseries Act and is a major step in
forming the basis for a third-party validation accreditation process for
licensed programs in Ottawa. This is a
major step that is required for this tool to be linked with purchase of service
agreements with the City for the provision of subsidized child care. The City would like to receive financial
support from the Province of Ontario to support the broader application of this
tool, which will assist in ensuring quality child care programs are provided in
the community. The City would specifically like to use third party evaluators
to support the accreditation process and is actively seeking funding for this
endeavour. The City plans to implement this tool more widely in 20010-11.
Child and Family Centres
Through all of the changes associated with the FDELP and changes in responsibility at the Ministry level, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services has retained the responsibility to promote and establish Child and Family Centres (CFCs). The CFCs will have a mandate to offer an integrated service delivery model that will include: child care, early intervention and prevention, special needs, family supports etc. to children 0-6 years of age in their catchment areas. The City is actively working with the MCYS to clarify roles and responsibilities for community partners. The City hopes to be in a position to offer guidelines, direction on governance issues and the appropriate location of CFCs, to community agencies within the next year. A new framework is being developed in cooperation with the MCYS in order to address governance and funding issues.
Potential
Local Issues from the FDELP
Municipal Child Care Centres
Operating in Schools
The City of Ottawa currently directly
operates seventeen municipal child care centres that serve communities across
the City. Several of these programs serve high-risk children and are the only
licensed group program in the neighbourhood that each one operates in. Two of those programs, Bayshore Kindergarten
School Age and Program and le Centre Parascolaire Quatre Saisons operate in
schools that will have the FDELP implemented in September 2010. In both cases the school boards have advised
the City that they will not require the space this year. School boards will review their space
requirements annually and advise the City of their space needs accordingly. The
City intends to continue operating child care programs this school year. Both programs serve neighbourhoods that are
considered high risk. The City is
encouraging the school boards operating these two schools to offer an extended
day for 4 to 10 year olds. The City will
work in partnership with the school boards to try and ensure that service
levels for before and after school care are maintained or enhanced as the FDELP
is implemented. The City programs have a
limited licensed capacity and some families that do not qualify for a fee
subsidy through licensed child care may qualify through the new school board
operated extended day.
The Bayshore Kindergarten School Age Program
operates in Bayshore Public School and is the only licensed child care program
that operates in the school catchment area.
The program has a licensed capacity of 50
children and presently serves kindergarten and school aged children. The City considers it a priority area for
service. Once FDELP is implemented at
the school including the extended day it is anticipated that the service needs
of families for school aged children will be met through school board operated
programs. City staff has begun meetings
with union officials that represent staff at the centre as well as community
developers that work in the area and school board officials to ensure this
neighbourhood is appropriately served and supported through the transition
period.
Bayshore Kindergarten School Age Program does
not serve children 0-3.8 years, but two other municipal centres nearby do offer
services for children 0-3.8 years of age.
Unfortunately the waiting lists in the Bayshore neighbourhood do not
indicate a demand for service but staff believes that this is not an accurate
reflection of the need in the community.
As part of the City’s planning for child care
services for children 0-3.8 years of age the City will pay special attention to
the Bayshore area and all high risk areas of the City to ensure they are
adequately served with the resources available. It is essential that the school
boards operating programs in these high-risk areas pay special attention to ensuring
a smooth transition of services.
Headstart Programs
Headstart programs continue to serve Ottawa’s high
risk and most vulnerable children that are 18 months – 5years of age with
complex needs. These needs include exceptionalities that have resulted in these
children being discharged from other childcare programs or deemed them not
ready for Kindergarten. They may be homeless/transient, and have mandated
involvement with the Children’s Aid Society. All Headstart programs have a
language program that allows for the children to have Speech Pathologists
assess them on site and work with the staff to provide programming to meet
their needs. They offer parent education programs and have the capacity to meet
the demands of children who suffer from neglect; with the ultimate goal of
having them become at par with their peers when entering elementary school. All
Headstart programs in Ottawa are located in high-risk, vulnerable areas such as
those indentified by the Early Development Instrument. With full day
learning coming into effect, preschool children in their programs will be
accessing Extended Day Early Learning Programs and will be taking the subsidy
with them. This situation will cause Headstart programs severe financial
issues, as these programs are 100% subsidised.
As they provide a targeted service, to a specific population, it will be
next to impossible for them to replace subsidised families with full fee paying
families.
Services
for Children with Special Needs
Services for children with special needs are an important component of the licensed child care system in Ottawa. The City of Ottawa will work with the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to ensure that service levels are maintained through the transition to the FDELP and the changes in mandate of both the City and the provincial ministries.
The City is also committed to the review of the current service delivery model to ensure that it remains efficient and effective at meeting the needs of this vulnerable population. This review needs to be in conjuncture with the development of the Child and Family Centres and with input from the community at large.
Licensed Home Child Care
Fifteen agencies in the Ottawa area provide licensed home child care to more than 3000 children in the homes of 1300 child care providers affiliated with those agencies. Home child care offers flexible and convenient child care arrangements to parents in the neighbourhoods in which they live and work. It is often the preferred child care choice for parents of infants and toddlers, but serves children from infancy through ten years of age. Fully 25% of the children served through Ottawa’s licensed home child care programs require non-traditional hours of care, and these needs are being met by this flexible type of monitored child care.
The exodus of kindergarten-aged children to Full Day Early Learning from licensed home child care along with their school aged siblings, presents challenges and concerns. While vacated spaces in provider’s homes might appear to create opportunities to address lengthy waiting lists for infant/toddler/preschool care, without corresponding subsidy dollars, the demand for child care will remain unmet and in fact, will increase if the subsidy envelope is reduced.
Unlike the potential closure of child care centres, which are identifiable facilities in the community, the loss of child care capacity in our licensed home child care sector could be more insidious. Clearly, large numbers of children are being served in this sector and shift-working parents are having their child care needs met by this type of care; the loss of this sort of child care capacity will not be obvious but ultimately will be significant and keenly felt by families.
The City of Ottawa will work with the Province and the child care community to ensure that licensed home child care remains a key component in the services offered through licensed child care. The licensed home child care sector plays a key role in helping to meet the goal of providing flexible child care in the community.
Consultation
The City of Ottawa has an ongoing well-established dialogue with
stakeholders and service partners in the child care system. The City of Ottawa participates regularly in
meetings with Le Regroupement
des services éducatifs à l’enfance d’Ottawa and with the Child Care Council of Ottawa.
There has been an ongoing consultation process with the child care
community on the development of the fee subsidy stabilization plan. Phase 1 of the plan is now complete and
received City Council approval in April 2009. Phase 2 of the fee subsidy
stabilization plan is currently being developed.
A Community Advisory Committee was established for Phase 1 and this
Advisory Committee agreed to continue their work to support the development of
phase 2 of the plan.
The City has also facilitated an information session between the child
care community and the Province and school boards. The City had also held special information
meetings on the fee subsidy stabilization grants with affected child care
programs to increase awareness of the process and assist agencies to make grant
applications.
Conclusion
The City will work closely with the Province, the school boards and the local child care community on the implementation of the FDELP to make the transition for families and children as smooth as possible. The City will also begin planning for their new mandate to serve children 0-3.8 years of age through the licensed child care system. The City will also continue with its own local initiative of ensuring equitable access to services for the Francophone population, the completion of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization Plan and the accreditation process in Ottawa.
Child Care Stabilization Funding
Addendum to 2010
Child Care Service System Guidelines
Part 1: Planning for Local
Full Day Early Learning Program Impacts
The implementation by the Province of the Full Day Early Learning Program will shift the responsibility for all child care from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to the Ministry of Education. CMSMs will now be responsible for licensed child care services for children 0 – 3.8 years of age. The local Boards of Education will be responsible for Full Day Early Learning for 4-5 year olds and before and after school programs for 4-10 year olds attending school.
The implementation of the FDELP by the Province of Ontario will directly impact the delivery and administration of child care services in the City of Ottawa. The significant expansion of the education mandate will create a huge transition for the next several years, until at least 2015, for child care services. The school boards will assume services that are presently being provided by child care agencies for children 4 years of age and older. This will include half day care for kindergarten children, to provide a full day of early learning, as well as before and after school care for all children over 4 years of age who require the service.
With the advent of the Full Day Early Learning Program (FDELP), the City must look at the child care programming for which it is now responsible. . CMSMs, including the City of Ottawa are now only responsible for delivering child care services to children aged 0-3.8 years of age before they enter the school system for junior kindergarten. The shift in service delivery for care for children 4 -10 years of age will happen over a 5 year transition period beginning in September of 2010.
Environmental
Scan
There are approximately 19,975 licensed child care spaces available in the City of Ottawa, of which 7,208 (36%) are fee subsidy spaces. There are presently approximately 6,400 families registered on the centralized waiting list requiring licensed child care spaces in the next six months, of which 2,000 require subsidized services.
The implementation of the FDELP will begin in September 2010 when approximately 15% of the projected enrolment of 4 and 5 year-old children will be served through the new system. An additional 5% of the projected enrolment of 4 and 5 year-old children will be served within the new system in September 2011. There is a total projected Ottawa JK/SK enrolment in FDELP of 2,548 for 2010-2011 and of an additional 1,118 for 2011-2012. Each year an additional increment of kindergarten children will be added to the FDELP until all kindergarten children are served within the education system by September 2015.
Over the five (5) year implementation period, the potential impact on the 4-5 year old subsidized children is estimated at 2,123 for a potential financial impact of $12.2 million in the child care funding envelope. In Year 1, the potential impact on the 4-5 year old subsidized children is estimated at 320 children for a potential financial impact of $1.8 million in the child care funding envelop, based on a 15% enrolment.
Ottawa presently has 2,123 children receiving subsidy in the JK/SK age group (34.8 % of caseload) and another 2,117 children in the school age group (34.7 % of total caseload), based on April 2010 data. The transition of service from licensed child care for junior and senior kindergarten and before and after school care to schools will potentially impact approximately 69.5% of the current subsidized child care services offered through the City of Ottawa at the end of the 5 year implementation. This will not only affect how the City manages the program but also all the community child care agencies that currently offer licensed subsidized child care services.
The fee subsidy budget is a cost-shared program with a total budget of approximately $61 million. How the future budget for this program will be established to serve children 0-3.8 years of age is still unclear. Until a final formula is outlined by the Province future service planning cannot be finalized.
Currently approximately one
third of the subsidy caseload is made up of children 0-3.8 years of age. These are the most expensive age groups to
serve because of group sizes and child to staff ratios. More children in this
age range could be served through the licensed child care system depending upon
the funding that is available through the subsidy system.
There are presently 1,322 children aged 0-3.8 years of age on the Centralized Waiting List awaiting a subsidized space. In order to meet this demand fully, the child care system in Ottawa would require an injection of approximately $17.5 million.
Community
Solutions
The school boards in Ottawa have now determined their lists of schools that will implement the FDELP in September 2010. The school boards have submitted to the Province for approval their proposed lists of schools for Year 2 implementation in September 2011, but they are not yet finalized. At this time it appears that all of the Year 1 implementation schools will be offering the full day kindergarten program but not all of those schools will offer the extended day program in Year 1. Timelines are very difficult for school boards to put both programs in place for September 2010. There may be more of an impact in September 2011 for extended day services for 4 - 10 year olds.
The City facilitated an information session
on the FDELP for the child care community on April 27th at the
Nepean Sportsplex. Ministry of Education
(MOE) and Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) and local school board
staff members were in attendance. This
was a general information session on the FDELP and an opportunity for agencies
to ask questions.
Since that time the details regarding funding
and the guidelines for the provincial stabilization funding were released. City staff has set up a number of meetings
with specific groups in the child care community. On May 28th staff
met with licensed home child care agencies. City staff held a meeting on May 31st
with the 10 community child care agencies that currently operate programs in
schools that will offer the FDELP in September 2010. On June 3rd, City staff also met
with the 21 child care programs that operate in the catchment area of schools
that will offer FDELP in September 2010.
These meetings were held to update agencies on the FDELP and then
explain the stabilization funding and the application process. The goal of the
meetings was also to raise awareness in the child care sector of potential
impacts to agencies in the community that the FDELP could potentially have on
them.
The City will work with
child care programs that will be affected by Year 1 implementation of the FDELP
to try and maintain service for families and support effective transitions
between the two systems.
The City of Ottawa
allocated $1 million in 100% municipal funding in the 2010 budget to mitigate
the reduction in Best Start funding. Now
that the Province has replaced Best Start funds in the fee subsidy budgets the
City will instead use these funds to bridge the transition to Full Day Early
Learning for the community. The
intention for the use of the funds originally is consistent with the new
direction; to use municipal funding to help bridge services for the local
population as provincial programs change for families. As the CMSM, it is the primary responsibility
of the service manager to ensure high quality services to children and families
is available. The municipal transition
funding will allow the City to carry out this responsibility by providing
continuity of services.
The City of Ottawa
undertook extensive planning for Phase 2 of the Fee Subsidy Stabilization
Plan. This planning was undertaken with
a community advisory committee for the project and a number of meetings with
the broad child care community. That
planning included extensive data collection on demographic trends, service
location, service user patterns and waiting lists for both subsidized and full
fee licensed child care services. The
City will use this data to undertake service planning over the next year for
children 0-3.8 years of age. The City
can establish the demand for service but until it receives clear direction from
the Province on funding levels cannot finalize service plans.
It is anticipated that
almost every community non-profit child care program will have to develop a new
business plan based on serving only children 0-3.8 years of age, at the latest,
by the end of the five year implementation period. Per Diem costs for younger children are
higher predominantly because of higher staff to child ratios. The City
anticipates that it will have to approve a new service contract with most child
care agencies. The City will not be able to establish new service protocols
with agencies until the global fee subsidy budget is negotiated with the
Province. The municipal transition
funding will allow the City to purchase interim services from agencies to
provide continuity of care. Once the
City knows how much funding will be in the fee subsidy budget for 0-3.8 year
olds planning can begin for service level targets for areas of the City based
on population and waiting list information.
Then the City can discuss new service configurations with community
agencies.
Part 2: FDELP Appendix: Community Plan for
Stabilization Funding
The Provincial
stabilization funding is intended for community non-profit licensed child care
agencies. CMSMs across the Province are to make allocation recommendations for
these funds to the Province for their respective communities. The funds are intended to help mitigate the
impacts that Full Day Early Learning will have on children and parents as
agencies shift their services to provide care to alternate age groups that will
be served through the child care system.
Community child care agencies will have to
adjust their programs and services, especially those offering kindergarten and
school-aged care. Some agencies will
have more time than others to adjust their services depending upon which year
schools in their area begin offering the FDELP.
It is expected that some child care programs will close.
The City of Ottawa was
allocated $596,300 for stabilization funding from the Province for child care
programs that will be affected by Year 1 of the FDELP. The total is comprised of $485,100 in
operating funding and $111,200 in one-time minor capital funding. The Province has established very strict
criteria for how these grants are to be allocated. The Ministry of Children and
Youth Services will review the City of Ottawa recommendations and give final
approval for the allocation of these funds to community agencies
The CMSMs received very
strict guidelines from the Province that they must adhere to regarding
allocation recommendations for these funds.
They include that:
·
Funding should
focus on the need of children and families in the community rather than
operators and is not to be used for system expansion;
·
Funding is to
support the refocusing of child care services for children zero to four years
old, as four and five-year olds move to the ELP from child care;
·
Funding should be
used to support the viability of child care operators that were identified to
be impacted by Phase 1 of the Early Learning Program implementation in
September 2010;
·
Consistent with
previous ministry investment, minor capital funds are only for not-for-profit
child care centres;
·
Funding should be
prioritized for centres that do not have the capacity to access funds through
other means; and,
·
Funding should be
prioritized for those communities and neighbourhoods at greatest risk of losing
a significant portion of their licensed child care capacity.
The guidelines also suggest
that CMSM staff should look at the quality of the program and the licensing
history when making recommendations. The City of Ottawa followed the guidelines
established by the Province and also developed a set of eight criteria to use
in assessing applications from non-profit licensed child care programs for the
Provincial stabilization funding. The following is the exact list of criteria
that was provided to agencies that the City used to review and prioritize the
applications:
· Organization History and Financial Profile: Agency’s brief history reflecting current programs and services. The organization has successfully demonstrated agency’s financial stability thru supporting documents for consideration of the project proposal. (If not already on file with Children’s Services Branch, please provide)
·
Environmental Scan: Extent of neighbourhood vulnerability level and to
which the community is at risk of losing licensed child care services. The
overall impact of ELP on child care services in the surrounding
neighbourhoods/community. Centralized
waiting list information for spaces in Sept2010, the need for subsidized spaces. (Community profile/data information
provided by the City of Ottawa).
· Financial Viability: Operator’s financial requirements to stabilize their child care agency and capacity to sustain on-going operational support and needs under ELP. Sustainability of programs and services according to agency’s financial budget and reserves under ELP. Number of new sustainable programs for children 0-4 years old required meeting community need. Ability to recruit full fee paying parents. Amount of required transition funding. Long-term plan for financial viability.
· Proposal Feasibility: Extent to which the agency has demonstrated adequate
financial and human resources for successful implementation of project proposal
according to DNA and by Aug. 27th, 2010.
· Enhances the
Child Care System: The extent to
which the agency programs and services meets community needs including
childcare options such as flex care, extended hours, weekend care.
· Child Care
Facility: Extent to which the
agency’s livelihood depends on facility, space status. Agency’s physical space support ELP.
· Other funding source:
Extent to which the agency is expected to access other funding sources through
other means. In the affirmative, the
name of other funding source, funding amount, and application status (pending
or approved) is requested.
·
Readiness to Proceed:
Agency’s business plan reflecting
feasibility for implementation of project proposal within timeframe. Proposed
project timetable confirming completion for implementation by August 27, 2010.
The City assessed requests
based on these criteria and then specifically on the plans that the child care
program outlined in their application for funds and their ability to
demonstrate that they will be viable once the FDELP is fully implemented. The Province was very clear that centres that
won’t be viable in future years once full implementation of FDELP is complete
should not be considered for these stabilization funds.
REVISED PAGE
City staff received a total of 41 applications for stabilization funding from a total of 30 community non-profit child care agencies affected by the first year of implementation of the FDELP. These proposals total $3.4M. This amount reflects $2.9M in operating funding, $318K in one-time minor capital funding and $204K in other costs associated with planning and communication strategies related to increasing agencies’ visibility in the community. Below are the recommendations for the allocation of funding to community child care agencies.
Appendix
1
REVISED
PAGE
Draft
Community Plan for Capital Transition Funding
As the information on funding envelope, the number of subsidized children transferring to Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) and the number of schools that will be offering the extended portion in unknown or at the most unconfirmed, the City of Ottawa find ourselves asking child care agencies to provide us with submissions that are not easily quantifiable.
Without confirmation of the information on these basic questions, community agencies have responded with their best estimates on what they perceive their needs to be moving forward with the expected impacts on programs and children they serve. The City is unable at this point to precisely target the stabilization funds to specific agencies.
The following draft proposal will highlight general areas where the City plans on prioritizing the transition capital funding in order the help maintain stable child care services for children and families.
The proposals submitted by agencies will need to be re-examined in a more detailed manner once further information and clarifications are received from the local school boards and the Ministry of Education/Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
With proposals totaling $2.9M in operating funding, $318K in Capital Transition Funding and another $204K in other costs associated with planning and communication strategies, the City does not anticipate any problems justifying the expenditure of the $485,100 in operating funding and $111,200 in one-time minor capital funding in order to mitigate the impact of FDK while supporting agencies to convert their current spaces for younger age groups.
The City of Ottawa provides base funding to agencies. This system management method will facilitate the City’s use of transitional funding in order to more easily target areas of the City where the needs of children and families are more pronounced in the community, ensure that the transitional funds are used to support the refocusing of child care services for children zero to four years old and to meet all the other funding guiding principles.
Once more specific information is received on the implementation and uptake of Extended Day programs from the local school boards, an update of the service plan will be submitted to reflect our exact plans for the capital stabilization funding.
The City of Ottawa will monitor and report on the use of capital funding by utilizing our Child Care Capital Grant Funding Program policy and procedure as a basis for this funding process.
Agencies will be required to:
·
Submit formal funding
applications
·
Sign legal
agreement and return it to Children’s Services before any funding is released.
·
Submit
supporting receipts to the Children’s Services Branch within the budgeted year.
Document 2
Map of eight (8) child care
service areas
Document 3
Year
1 (September 2010) FDELP Implementation Schools by School Board
|
Ottawa Arch Street PS Bayshore PS * Blossom Park PS * Century Public PS Convent Glen PS General Vanier PS Glen Cairn PS Grant PS Greely PS Jockvale PS * Manordale PS Metcalfe PS North Gower – Pinecrest PS Queen Elizabeth PS Robert E Wilson W. Erskine Johnston PS W.E. Gowling PS |
Bayshore Catholic Brother André * Our Lady of Our Lady of Wisdom St. Bernard St. Brigid St. Catherine (Metcalfe) St. Daniel St. Elizabeth St. Martin de Porres St. Michael Corkery St. Patrick (Board funded
for 2010) Conseil des Écoles Catholique du Centre-Est Alain-Fortin (Avalon) * George-Étienne-Cartier Marius-Barbeau Le Petit Prince * Sainte-Marie * Sainte Thérèse d’Avila Conseil des Écoles Publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario Séraphin-Marion * |
|
* Day
care located in school |
|
EARLY LEARNING - 1ST YEAR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Petite enfance –
Plan de mise en œuvre de la 1ière année
ACS2010-COS-CSS-0012 CITY WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA
VILLE
Moved by P. Feltmate
WHEREAS, the Province
requires that the City file a draft Child Care Service System Plan by June 30,
2010;
AND WHEREAS staff were
still obtaining clarification of the requirements of the Full Day Learning
Program from the Province when the agenda for the June 29 CPSC agenda was
released;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
That the Community and Protective
Services Committee approve the addition of the Early Learning – 1st
year Implementation Plan report, which was forwarded to Member of Council on
Friday, June 25, for consideration by the Committee at today’s meeting,
pursuant to section 84(3) of the Procedure By-law.
CARRIED
Aaron Burry, General Manager, Community and
Social Services apologized to Committee for the late arrival of the
report. Due to new regulations that the
Province introduced at the eleventh hour, a few approaches to the report had
taken required changes. He introduced Michel
Prévost, Manager, Children’s Services who assisted him with the presentation.
The presentation covered the implementations
and the present status. The City has
gone back to the Province and requested an extension for the submission of the
plan and they have said no, that the report had to be submitted by June 30th
and therefore they require Committee approval to do that and submit a draft
plan which has been difficult given the fact that they do not have all the
information from the Province. He stated
that they will also look at and do a comparison of is what the current system looks
like and what it is being migrated to. The city is the manager of about 1/3 of
the total child care system. The system
covers all children from 0 to 10 years of age who are receiving subsidies as
well as those children who are in licensed not-for-profit child care in the
city. For the most part, school boards have been the landlords providing spaces
and this change will now make them the managers of child care for those aged 4
and above which will be introduced gradually.
The City and others will be responsible for those 0 to 4 years of
age. A copy of the PowerPoint
presentation is held on file with the City Clerk’s office.
Following the presentation the Committee heard
from the following delegation:
Jo-Ann Hightower and Diane O’Neill, Child Care
Action Network, stated that
they are the designated spokespeople for Child Care Action Network which is an
inclusive coalition of child care agencies, staff, and parents advocating for
the child care needs of children and their families.
They thanked the Committee for the opportunity
to speak to the City’s proposed 2010/2011 Child Care Services Plan and for
having passed its direction to staff at a previous meeting. They also thanked the staff for responding to
their concerns and increasing consultation of child care agencies affected by
the implementation of the Early Learning Program (ELP) by inviting them to submit
proposals to provide care for 0 – 3.8 year olds and the timely distribution and
sharing of information. They understand that the Early Learning Program and its
implementation is driven by the province and the City can only respond to the
information they have and it has adjusted well.
The purpose of their comments is to ask the
Committee to adopt further motions to ensure that the City delivers its utmost
effort to make this difficult transition as successful as possible. The
greatest danger is the closure of child care spaces, centres, the loss of child
care expertise and infrastructure while the child care needs of 0 – 3.8 yr olds
and their families remain unmet. The Child Care Service Plan suggests the
possible loss of 69.5% of subsidized child care spaces and the associated
funding from our child care system. The
Plan identifies 1322 children aged 0-3.8 years of age awaiting a subsidized
space. It identifies the need for an infusion of $17.5 million over the 5 year
period in order to meet those needs. The City received 41 requests for
stabilization funds totalling $3.4 million in Year 1 and the province is only
funding $596,000.
Their recommendations:
·
That the
City requests that the province provide its 80% share of the $3.4 million
required in Year 1 or at the very least to the extent that all viable requests
for funding to meet the needs of children are met and, that in the event that
the province is unwilling to do so, that the City undertake a public
communications campaign (radio ads for example) to pressure the province to
provide the City with the necessary funding to meet all viable funding requests
·
They
request the City dedicate as much as may be necessary of the $1 million
approved in the 2010 budget to cover any funding shortfall by the province in
year 1. This money has been approved by Council in the 2010 budget and should
not be set aside while child care centres close.
In fact a small portion of these monies might
be best utilized by the City to engage in a public communications campaign to
pressure the province, rather than being set aside.
·
They
appreciate the adjustment made by City Staff in consulting agencies affected by
the 1st year of the implementation of ELP. They ask that this consultation
continue on an on-going basis throughout the 5 year ELP implementation together
with the sharing and distribution of information in a timely manner. The report
should be amended to include broader consultations with all Child Care
Networks, agencies individually and that the most important stakeholders in
childcare, the parents, who have not been included in the consultations.
·
Establish
a tool for agencies to submit business plans.
They appreciate that the City requires agencies to submit business plans
for conversion to 0 – 3.8 yr olds. They request that the City prepares a template
and offers support for agencies to identify all the information that should be
gathered by the agencies in submitting a viable business plan to the City and
that it is provided to agencies well in advance of the Year 2 implementation
deadline.
·
That the
City continues funding subsidies directly to child care centres and not pursue
a system of floating subsidies. They agree that where the subsidies are to be
allocated must be decided based on demographic data and identified need,
however we should not rob Jane to pay Mary. The resetting of which centres
receive subsidies should not be implemented in a manner which would put viable
centres at risk.
Chair Deans thanked the delegation for their
very thorough presentation and especially the specific requests from the
Committee.
Councillor Holmes asked staff to go through the
requests presented by the delegation.
Aaron Burry responded that on the first request of 80% of the $3.4
million, there needs to be more Provincial dollars faster is the main issue. The Province stated that it was going to
inject $53 million into child care subsidies for 0-4 over a 10 year
period. The result of that the City
received $589,000 this year. The
difficulty over a ten year period is that all of the schools that were selected
in the first round are very highly subsidized neighbourhoods so that by the
time you get to year 9 or 10 they are full fee paying parents. The Province needs to accelerate the
investment of $53 million annually not over ten years but over 2, 3 or 4 years
but not more than 5 years. With regards
to their second ask that the entire $1 million be spent Chair Deans stated that
it was put in the budget therefore there should be no difficulty. As for broader consultation, Mr. Burry stated
that it was their plan do so. They felt
the 10 day timeframe was far too short for proper consultation. It must be remembered that this is a new
process with a new Provincial department.
The Ministry of Community Services has a very
extensive consultation process and they are unfamiliar with the processes by
the Ministry of Education which tends to work on conference calls.
Councillor Qadri inquired for further details
on the entire use of the City’s $1 million and how that might affect
operations. Mr. Burry stated that they
do expect the full million to be used but what they are suggesting is that
rather than spending it all at this time and having nothing in 2011 and a
possibility of many transitional issues, is to wait until more information is
forthcoming from the Ministry and school boards on their plans.
Councillor Deans believed that the Committee
had foresight by putting $1 million in the budget for child care and the
transition period. She believes that we
should spend what’s necessary to spend in 2010 and if there are funds that need
to be allocated for 2011 then those can be requested for the 2011 budget.
On the issue of subsidy Mr. Burry stated that
they had withdrawn any recommendation of floating subsidies for the time being
to re-consult. He alerted the Committee
with respect to 100% Provincial funds, the Province has adopted a guideline
that says fee subsidy goes with children it does not go to agencies. The City’s goal is to maintain stability of
the agencies.
Councillor Feltmate wants further clarification
on the aspect of the subsidy staying with the child. When they transfer the funds to education
from social services, they have a responsibility to create a new child care
system. In the early part of the new
system, school boards have the option to opt out for the before and after care
for 4 and 5 year olds. What that creates
is a pressure for the rest since agencies or the City must provide or figure
out how to transition that piece for funding.
Mr. Burry stated that from an implementation point of view it’s a
mess.
Councillor Feltmate stated that many people in
the community do not understand what is going on with this new system. Mr. Burry said that part of the difficulty
for 85% of parents and families in September is that there is no
difference. He believes that if this
were done in one shot to affect all parents there would be ability for people
to understand and move forward but when it is fractionalized as it is, it is
very difficult to get an integrated communication plan. The Councillor would like some key messages
developed that she is able to place in newsletters or columns.
Moved by D. Holmes
That the City request that the Province
accelerate the funding of the previously announced Provincial funding of $53
million to be expended over ten years to commit to a new timeline over the next
five years;
That the City dedicate as much as may be
necessary of the $1,000,000 million in the approval 2010 budget to cover any
funding shortfall by the Province in Year One;
That broad consultations with all Child Care
Networks, agencies individually and that the most important stakeholders in
childcare – the parents be consulted in the future;
That requests for “submissions of business
plans” together with this template be provided to all agencies well in advance
of the Year 2 implementation deadline;
That the City consider possible financial
systems that would result in sustaining Child Care Centres as stable
organizations in high needs neighbourhoods;
And that the City develops key messages and
communication plans around Full Day Learning and Child Care issues.
CARRIED
That
the Community and Protective Services Committee recommend that Council:
1. Approve the draft City of Ottawa 2010/11 Child
Care Service System Plan attached as Document 1 to be submitted to the Ministry
of Children and Youth Services by June 30, 2010.
2. Recommend to the Ministry of Education /
Ministry of Children and Youth Services the draft allocation of $596,300 of
Early Learning Stabilization Funds to the child care community as appended to
the Child Care Service System Plan.
3. Dedicate as much as may be necessary of the
$1,000,000 million in the approval 2010 budget to cover any funding shortfall
by the Province in Year One.
4. Implement the creation of eight (8) child care
service areas for census data collection and service planning to assist in the
local planning and implementation of The Full Day Early Learning Program as
attached in Document 2.
5. Request that the Province accelerate the
funding of the previously announced
Provincial funding of $53 million to be expended over ten years to
commit to a new timeline over the next 5 years.
6. Direct staff to conduct broad consultations
with all Child Care Networks, agencies individually and that the most important
stakeholders in childcare – the parents be consulted in the future.
7. Direct staff to prepare a template for agencies
identifying all of the information that should be gathered by the agencies in
submitting a business plan to the City and that requests for “submissions of
business plans” together with this template be provided to all agencies well in
advance of the Year 2 implementation deadline.
8. Direct staff to consider possible financial
systems that would result in sustaining Child Care Centres as stable organizations
in high needs neighbourhoods.
9. Direct staff to develop key messages and
communication plans around Full Day Learning and Child Care issues.
CARRIED as amended with dissent on
recommendation 3 from Councillor Qadri