Excerpted from the document
Purpose
The Ministry of Education (“the ministry”) is seeking feedback on proposed regulatory amendments under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA).
Also included in this document are discussion questions regarding additional, potential policy approaches related to child care; the discussion questions begin on page 34 of this document.
More information about how to respond is provided at the end of the document. Responses must be received by the ministry no later than November 20, 2020.
Background
On August 31, 2015, the CCEYA came into force, replacing the nearly 70 year old predecessor legislation, the Day Nurseries Act.
Since its coming into force, the ministry has taken a phased approach to introducing regulatory changes to the two regulations under the CCEYA, most recently in summer 2020 in response to the novel coronavirus 2019 pandemic. The two regulations under the CCEYA are:
Ontario Regulation 137/15: General (O. Reg. 137/15)
Ontario Regulation 138/15: Funding, Cost Sharing and Financial Assistance
(O. Reg. 138/15)
Under the CCEYA, the Minister is required to conduct a review of the Act within five years of it coming into force (see section 80 of the Act). On July 7, 2020, the Minister of Education announced the start of the review of the CCEYA and launched two online surveys on the government’s website. Sector partners were also invited to submit reports to the ministry with their ideas for how to improve the child care and early years system.
The five year review has provided an opportunity to identify a suite of proposed regulatory amendments. The results of surveys and submissions – which are summarized in the Strengthening early years and child care in Ontario, 2020 report – helped to inform the proposed regulatory amendments to the CCEYA described in this document. The proposals address the following:
A. Flexibility and responsiveness
B. Qualification requirements
C. Administrative/regulatory burden
D. Health and safety
E. Regulations requiring clarification of intent
F. Technicalmatters