Ward 43 Child Care Subsidy Update

by John Laforet
posted on August 19th, 2008 at 00:44:11 am

I received a response to my questions from Children’s Services at the City on August 13 regarding the status of child care subsidies. The response was very thorough and seemed to be quick for what had been asked.

The City has in fact lowered the number of childcare subsidies Ward 43 children are entitled to. This is because child poverty has increased from an average of 29% to 32% across the City between 2001 and 2006. The increase across the City has caused a re-allocation of some of the childcare subsidy spaces. 

The only good news is that children who currently have subsidies do not lose them, but as children come out of the system the spots are re-allocated to other areas within the City. 

The childcare subsidy vacancies in Ward 43 are spots that are open and can be utilized by any resident in the City who has a subsidy. The idea is that parents should be able to find the most convenient childcare option for themselves whether or not it is in their community of residence. 

Graphs made available within Toronto’s Report Card on Children indicate that child poverty has decreased in some areas of Ward 43; predominately in lower density areas, while increasing in high density, low rent areas. The increases in child poverty in Ward 43 have been as a result of intensification, meaning areas that already had rates of child poverty over the city average, have seen the increase. Intensification of child poverty has a huge social impact on children and our community as a whole. With increased intensification, we put additional strain on community schools and risk further isolation of communities most in need of additional resources and supports. 

It was surprising to see that child poverty had increased within Toronto during the 2001-2006 period as the Daily Bread Food Bank had noted that child hunger between 2003 and 2008 fell from 27% to 13% (hunger is defined by not eating at least one day per week).

I would encourage you to take a look at fact sheet two from the Report Card on Children if you’re interested in having a more detailed understanding of some of the more surprising aspects of the growth of child poverty in our city. 

With the fall fast approaching, it is my hope that the Provincial Government’s poverty reduction strategy will specifically address poverty intensification and the impact this intensification has on our city and particularly those who face poverty without adequate assistance from any level of government. I’d also like to see any level of government commit to ensuring at least children from families who live below the low income cut off have access to subsidized, licensed daycare. 

Tags: Child Poverty, Scarborough, Toronto, Ward 43