International Family Childcare Association -

Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWA — The City of Ottawa should be giving subsidies for child-care space to families rather than child-care agencies, according to an audit released Wednesday.

Auditor General Alain Lalonde’s audit of children’s services found that those families most in need are not necessarily getting the help they need in the current system. Ottawa is the only city in Ontario that gives the fee subsidies to agencies rather than families in need.

The report also says the current centralized waiting list doesn’t accurately reflect the true need for the service in the city.

OECD Reports:

Full-day kindergarten, on the other hand, is to be available to any Ontario family that wants it, regardless of its situation. Besides being inefficient, universality of this sort can actually have a perverse impact on inequality, the OECD suggests, “since scarce resources to combat inequality are spread more thinly.”

Given looming constraints on social spending budgets across Canada, it makes sense to spend the limited funds that are available on those children who really need the help.

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