A recent audit of childcare programs run by Hastings County has determined that the programs are returning a high value for the money invested.
During Wednesday’s Hastings County Community and Human Services meeting, council received a report on the recent audit, which is required by Ontario law. The audit is designed to determine whether provincial funding invested into the eight childcare programs operated by Hastings County is being used effectively.
Overall, the audit rated the Hastings County programs as excellent, with high scores across the board in all areas the audit covers.
Specific findings of the program were that the program’s non-payroll expenses ranged between 9% to 15% of the total cost, which is below the national average of 25%. The report notes this is due to agreements with local schools to use their facilities, rather than needing to run dedicated facilities. The programs were also found to be 77% to 100% full, which the report says indicates effective capacity planning.
The economic impact of the programs was also studied in the report, with gains being noted in creating more jobs locally and by enabling both parents to work, increasing the local GDP. Of the families accessing childcare through these programs, 47% were found to have a household income of less than $100,000 a year.
Parents surveyed as part of the audit gave positive reviews of the childcare programs, with 98% of respondents saying they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the care their child received.
