Parents in Greater Napanee and across the province can expect affordable child-care fees to continue for at least the next year, thanks to a new agreement between Ontario and the federal government.
The two governments have agreed to extend Ontario’s affordable child-care program for another four years, with nearly $12 billion in federal funding flowing to the province through March 2031.
For local families, the immediate benefit is that Ontario will maintain its current average child-care fee of $19 a day, with fees capped at $22, until June 30, 2027.
However, the province will not reach the program’s original goal of an average $10-a-day fee under the new agreement.
What happens to fees after June 2027 remains under discussion. Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra says significantly more federal funding would be needed to reduce fees further.
