The Early Learning and Child Care in Peel Council Task Force met on Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 10:04 a.m., in the Council Chamber, Regional Administrative Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A, Brampton.

Chaired by Councillor Miles.

1. DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST - Nil


2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

a) Minutes of the Early Learning and Child Care in Peel Council Task Force (ELCCTF-2012-5) meeting held on June 28, 2012

RECOMMENDATION ELCCTF-10-2012:

That the Minutes of the Early Learning and Child Care in Peel Council Task Force (ELCCTF-2012-5) meeting held on June 28, 2012, be approved.

3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

RECOMMENDATION ELCCTF-11-2012:

That the agenda for the August 9, 2012, Early Learning and Child Care in Peel Council Task Force meeting include 3 additional communication items to be dealt with under Communications as Items 5u to 5 w inclusive;

And further, that the agenda for the August 9, 2012, Early Learning and Child Care in Peel Council Task Force meeting be approved, as amended.

See also Items 5u to 5w inclusive

4. PRESENTATIONS

a) Recommendations for the Regional Role in the Child Care and Early Learning System
Presentation by Janet Menard, Commissioner, Human Services

Received

A copy of the presentation is available from the Office of the Regional Clerk. The following is a list of proposed recommendations for Regional Council’s consideration at the September 13, 2012 Regional Council Meeting.

Recommendation 1: Service Delivery

That, in its role as Service Manager for the Child Care System in Peel, the Region of Peel will plan and ensure that the child care system is of high quality, stable and viable in the long term;

And further, that existing child care spaces be retrofitted to accommodate younger age groups, particularly infants and toddlers;

And further, that a policy regarding subsidized children in the child care system who have access to full-day kindergarten availability be developed;

And further, that staff determine the need and demand for child care in Peel.

Recommendation 2: Special Needs

That a system strategy to ensure sustainable policies and programs to support children with special needs be collaboratively developed;

And further, that special needs supports be enhanced;

And further, that special needs services and infrastructure be strengthened and not duplicated;

And further, that Purchase of Service agreements include a commitment to providing inclusive care to all children;

And further, that a centralized waitlist be maintained and managed on the basis of priority and “most in need”.

Recommendation 3: Quality

That quality assurance initiatives be enhanced through increased funding for Raising the Bar, mandatory participation in Raising the Bar for all Purchase of Service programs, and an increased number of quality assurance reviews;

And further, that additional investments be made in professional education and training with an emphasis on training to support children with special needs;

And further, that marketing campaigns to educate parents and providers on the quality, value and importance of licensed child care, be developed.

Recommendation 4: Advocacy

That any inequitable distribution of fee and wage subsidies be addressed;

And further, that a stronger leadership role to increase early learning and child care funding be adopted specifically for sustainable, reliable and affordable funding and transformational supports, and enhanced wage subsidies to help stabilize parent fees;

And further, that School Boards be advocated to support flexible boundaries;

And further, that a response to the Modernizing Child Care in Ontario discussion paper be developed.

Recommendation 5: Funding

That the Region of Peel ensure sustainable, reliable and affordable funding for child care spaces is provided;

And further, that special needs funding be enhanced;

And further, that the number of available fee subsidies be increased;

And further, that the wage subsidy enhancement and equity funding to retain and attract Early Childhood Educators be increased;

And further, that investments continue to be made in staff and programs.

Recommendation 6: Role as Service Provider

That the Region of Peel phase out the direct delivery of child care over a period of two years, having regard to the impact on high need communities to maintain capacity where there is demand;

And further, that appropriate staff labour transition be provided in accordance with fair labour practices and the Regional values;

And further, that the Region of Peel achieve these goals by:

• Ceasing enrolment
• Working with our partners regarding alternate service delivery and specialized programming
• Involving Regional Councillors to ensure decisions reflect community need.

That the mandate of the Early Learning Child Care in Peel Council Task Force (ELCCTF) be extended to continue to meet, as needed, in order to support ongoing implementation.

Additional Recommendations:

That $800,000 in wage subsidy in the 2012 budget be redirected to the Learn.Play.Care (LPC) Centres, to the broader system.

That the 2012 provincial allocation to the Region of Peel of $2.4 million in stabilization funds for 0-3.8 years, be distributed.

That staff include the funds to implement all recommendations regarding child care funding in the Region of Peel in the 2013 budget.

Janet Menard, Commissioner of Human Services, provided a presentation to the members regarding final recommendations for consideration by the Task Force that can be made to Regional Council. The presentation contained recommendations regarding the most effective way the Region of Peel can continue its role as the early learning and child care service system manager and strengthen the system as a whole. The presentation also contained recommendations regarding the Region’s role as service provider and direct operator of child care. Finally, there contained a recommendation for the Task Force to continue once Regional Council has approved the recommendations and monitor implementation, meeting as necessary providing guidance and support as needed.

Councillor Palleschi inquired whether, according to staff’s plan, given the number of spaces needing retrofit in the next two years to accommodate the infant and toddler age groups, how many private centres would be able to retrofit on their own and how many might determine the cost is too prohibitive and close down. Janet Menard responded that exact numbers cannot be known regarding any centres closing down, but age projections in the next few years show there are enough children in this age group for the centres to accommodate, adding that not all of these children would need to be subsidized. Councillor Palleschi further inquired about the recently announced $2.4 million being transferred from the province and whether these dollars could be used for retrofitting child care spaces for the younger age groups. Joan Kaczmarski, Director, Service System Management, responded that the province details how these dollars must be spent with this transfer having approximately $900,000 available for retrofitting. Councillor Palleschi directed staff to provide further information regarding the details of what these invesments will buy in terms of new spaces in their final report to Regional Council. Councillor Palleschi further inquired about the fees for parents in private centres for the 0-3.8 age group. Janet Menard responded that there is a range of $36 to $68 per day for private centres providing care to this age group.

Councillor Crombie inquired if, with New Steps Malton Child Care closing down in Malton being one of the only providers of infant-care in the area, all parents have been accommodated with new spaces. Irene Mochenko, Manager, Service Access, responded that all families have been contacted and arranged with alternative care at multiple different sites, both now and when the Centre closes on August 17, 2012. She added that staff has not heard of any issues with parents still needing alternate care.

Councillor Thompson inquired what percentage of children with special needs could be accommodated over the phase-out period of two years. Janet Menard responded that based on the assumption of a $1 million investment helping 130-150 special needs children, all special needs children could likely be accommodated over that phase-out period.

Councillor Sprovieri inquired whether staff had any knowledge of abuse of the system. Janet Menard responded that staff investigates any situations where abuse is suspected. She added that current Canada Revenue Agency Information, such as a Notice of Assessment or Child Tax Benefit Notice, is used in determining financial eligibility for fee subsidy. Therefore families will qualify for fee subsidy based on adjusted net income on their personal income tax returns and not on assets purchased. Councillor Sprovieri further inquired whether special needs children are given priority on the waitlist. Irene Mochenko responded that special needs children are given a high priority, however if special needs supports such as a trained resource teacher are unavailable for the child, that will prevent the child from being enrolled.

Councillor Hames departed at 11:40 a.m.

Councillor Fonseca directed staff to strengthen their language around advocating to the province on behalf of special needs children. Councillor Fonseca expressed concern for losing the Learn. Play.Care (LPC) centers as vital neighbourhood building capacity institutions and asked staff to take this into account when designing the phase out plan in the final report to Regional Council.

Councillor Palleschi inquired whether the recommendation regarding redirecting $800,000 from the LPC’s to the broader system is done in conjunction with the recommendation for the phase-out. Janet Menard responded that this recommendation is separate and can be done without affecting the decision regarding the LPC’s. Councillor Palleschi further inquired whether the two-year phase out plan had any details regarding the future of the employees involved. Janet Menard responded that the current employees are well trained and in high demand by the local school boards as full-day kindergarten is implemented. David Szwarc, Chief Administrative Officer, added that the scope of the report coming back to Regional Council in September will further outline these plans. David Szwarc assured the members that every effort possible will be provided to employees to give them opportunities for relocation to another child care position.

Councillor Miles proposed that the language in the recommendation regarding the two-year phase out be changed to take into account the expressed Councillors’ concerns. The new language would reflect the two-year phase out being cognizant of high need communities and not losing child care capacity, a strict attention to helping current employees make the transition to new positions wherever possible, and an emphasis on involving Regional Councillors in the process of transition. Lastly, Councillor Miles proposed recommending that the Early Learning and Child Care in Peel Council Task Force continue after Regional Council considers its recommendations to ensure the system can be monitored and any concerns or problems can continue to be brought to the Task Force’s attention.

5. COMMUNICATIONS

a) Tara Nolan, Email dated May 31, 2012, Expressing Concerns Regarding the Potential Closure of the Region of Peel Child Care Centres

Received

b) Liz Jane van Berkel, Executive Director, Child Development Resource Connection Peel (CDRCP), Email dated June 18, 2012, Providing a Report on the Results of an Online Survey of Licensed Operators in Peel Conducted During the Month of May

Received

c) Katherine Jasinski, Email dated June 20, 2012, Providing Comments in Support of the Region of Peel Keeping the Learn.Play.Care Centres Open

Received

d) Amy Thurston, Email dated June 20, 2012, Expressing Concerns Regarding the Potential Closure of the Region of Peel Child Care Centres

Received

e) Jacky Sheppard, Director/Owner, Streetsville Children’s Centre and Academy, Email dated June 21, 2012, Submitting a Letter on Behalf of Peel Owners Group Suggesting Recommendations for Consideration to the Early Learning and Child Care in Peel Council Task Force (ELCCTF)

Received

f) Kim Patterson, Email dated June 22, 2012, Expressing Concerns Regarding the Lack of Day Care in Malton and the Potential Closure of the Region of Peel Child Care Centres

Received

g) Mark Creedon, Executive Director, Catholic Family Services of Peel, Email dated June 24, 2012, Providing His Feedback and Perspective Regarding the Child Care Services Provided by the Region of Peel

Received

h) Amparo Becerra, Email dated June 26, 2012, Urging the Region of Peel to Keep the Learn.Play.Care Centres Open

Received

i) Myriam Schaap, Email dated June 26, 2012, Expressing Concerns Regarding the Potential Closure of the Region of Peel Child Care Centres

Received

j) Ryan Maitland, Email dated June 27, 2012, Sharing His Positive Experience with Childcare at the Bright Scholars Montessori

Received

k) Rossie Kadiyska, Parent Council Representative, Cooksville LPC Centre, Letter dated June 7, 2012, Submitting a Petition Against the Potential Closure of the Region of Peel Child Care Centres

Received

l) Cynthia Phillips, Email dated June 28, 2012, Urging the Region of Peel to Keep the Learn.Play.Care Centres Open

Received

m) Prabhdeep Sandhu, Email dated June 28, 2012, Urging the Region of Peel to Keep the Learn.Play.Care Centres Open

Received

n) Michelle Charbonneau, Email dated June 28, 2012, Urging the Region of Peel to Keep the Learn.Play.Care Centres Open

Received

o) Received Email dated June 29, 2012, Urging the Region of Peel to Keep the Learn.Play.Care Centres Open

Received

p) Mary Farrugia, Letter dated June 29, 2012, Providing Comments in Support of the Region of Peel Keeping the Learn.Play.Care Centres Open

Received

q) Shiao C. Chong and Martha Schreiber, Email dated July 2, 2012, Providing Their Personal Experience Regarding the Region of Peel’s Role in Supporting Children with Special Needs

Received

r) Olga Oulybina, Email dated July 2, 2012, Expressing Concerns Regarding the Potential Closure of the Region of Peel Child Care Centres

Received

s) Jim Grieve, Assistant Deputy Minister, Early Learning Division, Ministry of Education, Memorandum dated July 10, 2012, Providing Context, Information and the Next Steps Regarding a New Schools-First Child Care Capital Retrofit Policy

Received

t) Ron Lenyk and Keith Ward, Co-Chairs, Fair Share for Peel Task Force, Letter dated July 17, 2012, Providing Information Regarding the Need for Adequate Child Care Funding in Peel

Received

Additional Items – Items 5u – 5w (inclusive)

u) Anna Mihaljisin, Parent Council Representative, The Valleys Child Care Centre, Letter dated June 7, 2012, Submitting a Petition Against the Potential Closure of the Region of Peel Child Care Centres

Received

See also Item 3 - Approval of Agenda

v) Tara Mirander, Email dated August 7, 2012, Providing Comments in Support of the Region of Peel Keeping the Learn.Play.Care Centres Open

Received

See also Item 3 - Approval of Agenda

w) Christina Safie, Email dated August 8, 2012, Regarding the Region of Peel’s Role in Supporting Children with Special Needs

Received

See also Item 3 - Approval of Agenda

6. OTHER BUSINESS – Nil

7. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 12:41 p.m.