Wait for subsidized childcare increases

By Chris Jones/The Oshawa Express

The number of families waiting for subsidized childcare has risen since this time last year according to a report from the region’s children’s services division.

Durham Region children’s services division has released their third quarter statistical report for the months of July, August and September.

According to the report, there were 4,360 children receiving childcare fee subsidies as of Sept. 30, while the waitlist consisted of 3,588 children. The waitlist also contained 483 children who did not require childcare at that time.

As previously reported by The Oshawa Express, at this time last year the waitlist consisted of 2,586, as the number of children on the waiting list had been cut down.

According to the report, a child’s waiting time for a placement was just under 12 months at the end of the quarter, while a year ago it sat at nine to 10 months.

According to Lisa McIntosh, the director of children’s services, the reason the numbers were so low in 2017 is because the “2017 waitlist reflected the initial spending of the provincial government’s expansion plan funding, and so we were able to provide fee subsidy to families that had previously been on our waitlist.”

Last year the region received $7.9 million in funding to create more childcare spaces, as well as hire additional staff.

She says that they are also receiving twice as many applications for children’s services in 2018 as they did in 2017.

“I know our waitlist now reflects what the third quarter in 2016 reflected,” says McIntosh. “So it’s looking like it is a heavy waitlist again, but we are serving more families and more infants and toddlers.”

The report also shows that there are 26 individuals who are waiting to move up the special needs resourcing waitlist, as well as 108 people on the developmental waitlist.

In Oshawa specifically during the third quarter the number of subsidized children placed in childcare was 3,056, with 971 placed in July, 926 in August and 1,159 in September.

According to the report, at the end of the third quarter there was still 970 children waiting to be placed.

In total around Durham Region, 13,143 children were placed in childcare services during the third quarter. This means that in July there was 4,437, in August there was 4,346 and in September there was 4,360.

At the end of the third quarter, there were still 3,588 children on the waitlist hoping to receive assistance from children’s services. This total also includes 124 children who are waiting to move to Durham.

The region’s children’s services division plans, manages and funds the regions early years and child care system, while also taking a lead role in Durham’s Best Start Network. It also operates seven licensed early learning and childcare centres throughout the region, while also overseeing Durham behaviour management services.