Welcome to the forgotten ECE, the show where before and after school educators, summer
camp and PD staff and CYWs have a place where they are seen, heard and valued.
I'm your host, Jamie Wagler, and I'm so excited you're here.
Hello and welcome back to the forgotten ECE, the podcast where we, I shine a light on often
overlooked corners of early childhood education.
I'm your host, Jamie Wagler, and today we are diving into the pressing issue in Ontario's
childcare landscape, the closure of before and after school programs.
I cannot tell you enough how it hurts me to even be doing a podcast about this because
before and after school programs are the cornerstone of my belief system.
Honestly, like I, if you're new here, you know that I love before and after school wholeheartedly.
And this is just sad.
This is just sad.
And well, I don't want to point any fingers.
But Canada wide early learning and childcare systems, also known as CWEL, Canada, I guess,
has been a game changer for many families with young children.
School age programs have been left behind from this.
This has created an alarming trend of program closures, leaving families scrambling for
care and operators facing impossible challenges.
It is so disheartening.
First of all, the jump in money and costs, the jump in fees from preschool to before
and after school programs.
So these programs are costing upwards of a thousand dollars a month for five hours a
day.
And I'm not saying it's not worth it.
It is worth it.
These kids need these programs.
And I am the first person belting it out to the world that these programs are needed.
But a thousand dollars a month for five hours a day.
What?
In this episode, we're going to explore why this is happening and the impact on families
and communities.
And most importantly, what we can do to change it.
I hope you're ready.
So I'm already fired up.
I don't know if you can tell.
I'm going to set the stage.
So the CWEL system was designed to make childcare more affordable for families focusing only
on children age zero to six.
This includes fees reductions and subsidies, which are incredibly beneficial for the younger
age groups.
Obviously, this is not, I'm not arguing that.
I'm, it is needed.
Personally, I would have needed this.
I did need this.
It wasn't there when I needed it, but I needed it.
The problem is school age programs.
Those serving children six and older, they're not receiving the same attention of funding.
These programs are crucial for working families providing care during before and after school
hours.
Despite the importance of these programs, they've been excluded completely from the
CWEL benefits.
There's no funding for operators.
This exclusion has created a perfect storm without proportional funding.
They're struggling to cover the rising costs while keeping their fees affordable for parents.
And when revenue doesn't meet operational costs, closures are often the only option
and it's happening.
It's happening in front of our faces right now.
I actually recently spoke to an operator in Ontario who told me we've always run on a
thin margin, but now with the rising costs and no additional funding for school aged
care, it's become unsustainable.
We had to make the heartbreaking decision to close.
And this isn't an isolated story.
It's happening across the province.
I just am so broken from this.
I figure our next step is to break it down.
The key reasons behind these closures.
What are these reasons?
First, the not so hidden staffing crisis.
The CWEL funding model doesn't adequately address the need for competitive wages, especially
RACEs and operators are forced to choose between hiring less qualified staff or running understaffed
programs.
That shouldn't even be an option.
I've heard programs asking if they can afford to hire any more RACEs.
Like what?
That shouldn't be a question that we're asking ourselves.
That shouldn't be a question that the admin staff are asking.
Where is this pressure coming from?
It's coming from these awful fee margins.
Second, let's look at the funding gap.
Mandated fee caps are designed to make childcare affordable for families, but they don't come
with enough financial support to balance the books.
For school age programs, which already operated on these thin margins, this is devastating.
It's absolutely devastating.
What are these families supposed to do?
I don't know very many work days that run from nine to three or nine to two 30 giving
people a chance to go pick their kids up.
And that's not even including travel time.
And then finally, there's that administrative burden.
Operators are expected to navigate complex reporting and compliance requirements all
while managing staffing shortages and stretched resources.
There is no additional funding for training, professional development, or planning time.
And all of this is essential to quality care.
These challenges are pushing programs to the brink and the numbers don't lie.
Closures are becoming more frequent.
It's outrageous is what it is.
It's absolutely outrageous.
These before and after school programs that used to use these staff to help with planning
time to cover other educators during those crucial aspects that not everyone gets, they
just can't afford to run them.
They can't afford these staff to be there all day.
It's disgusting.
I'm sorry for pausing, but it's just, it's so disheartening.
And then what does that mean for families in our communities?
For parents, the closures of school age programs mean fewer options for affordable and reliable
care.
This is especially challenging for families who have two working parents or even single
parent households.
The stress and financial burdens are enormous.
And for communities, the loss of these programs creates a ripple effect.
Children may set on structured play-based learning opportunities and families are losing
a vital support system.
Local economies feel the impact as parents are forced to reduce work hours or leave the
workforce altogether.
How are we supposed to afford it?
And you know, as well as I do listening to this podcast, listening to the being a person
in our system or in our society today, groceries and living expenses are not cheap.
We cannot afford to live, the working class, I should say, cannot afford to live on one
income families, one income support systems.
Even as a single person without children, you can't live on one income.
This issue isn't just about childcare.
It's about the wellbeing of our entire community.
Now that you've listened to my rant about the problem, what can we do to fix it?
First, we need inclusive funding policies.
Each programs must, and I repeat must be included in the CWELC benefits to ensure they receive
the support they need to stay open and accessible.
The government needs to understand that these programs are vital to our societies.
Second, we need to address the staffing crisis by increasing wages and providing funding
for professional development.
Quality care depends on the skilled educators and we can't afford to lose them.
There will be no new spaces for families, for children.
There will be no quality care if we don't have skilled educators in these programs.
Third, we need to simplify the administrative process.
Operators should be able to focus on providing care, not drowning in paperwork.
There's got to be a better way to do it.
Finally, last but certainly not least, we need to raise our voices.
I am talking to you.
I'm talking to my listeners.
I'm talking to people who just happen to be walking by.
I'm talking to anyone who is here, who is loud, who is proud, who is quiet.
It doesn't matter.
You need to raise your voice.
Policymakers need to hear from families.
They need to hear from educators and they need to hear from operators about the importance
of these school age programs.
It all starts with advocacy.
Change starts with advocacy.
This issue may feel overwhelming, but together we can make a difference.
If you have been impacted by the closure of school age programs, I encourage you to share
your story.
Reach out to your local representation or local representatives and demand action.
I want to hear.
Take me in it.
Hashtag the Forgotten ECE, hashtag Miss Jamie Consulting.
I want to hear from you if you've been impacted by these closures, whether you're an REC,
whether you're an educator, whether you're a parent, whether you're a parent, whether
you're a parent of a child.
Whether you're an educator, whether you're a parent, whether you're a community member,
whether you're an administrative.
Every voice counts is what I want you to take away from today.
Every single voice.
And we need to stand together to do this.
I know that was really hard and really loud and really boisterous, but I need you to understand
that we can make a difference.
So thank you so much for joining me today and let's continue to advocate for the recognition
and support that these school age programs deserve.
And until next time, keep pushing for change.
Thank you.
Amazing listeners for your support.
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram at Miss Jamie underscore REC.
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DM me or comment.
Again, thank you so much and happy learning.