The executive director of the Community Development Council of Quinte is applauding the federal-provincial deal to bring $10-a-day daycare to Ontario.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the $10.2-billion deal Monday morning.
Ruth Ingersoll says daycare has been a huge barrier that’s kept many people, especially mothers, from working.
“Paying $70 a day per child or more and how can you afford, you know, $1,600 or $3,200 a month depending on how many children you have and making minimum wage? So we see this as a huge win.”
She feels the plan to create 86,000 child-care spaces province-wide will also benefit many families who say just finding daycare is a struggle.
“When you talk to people it’s like they say you almost have to put your name in before you’re pregnant to try and get a space by the time you actually have the baby and you think you’re gonna need it which, you know, doesn’t work. That system just doesn’t work.”
Ingersoll says she would have liked to see the full plan take effect a little sooner.
Parents of children under the age of six will receive daycare rebates up to 25% in May (retroactive to April 10), with fees to be reduced on average by 50% by the end of the year and drop down to an average of $10 a day by September 2025.
