Proposed Changes to Policies on Extended Day and Child Care Programs at the OCDSB
The OCDSB’s two standing policies, P.035.SCO, Extended Day Programs and P.059.SCO, Child Care Programs in Schools, have served the District well since child care was introduced to the OCDSB suite of services. However, the legislative framework for the delivery of extended day and childcare programs and services has changed and evolved significantly since these policies were authorized in 2014.
In 2022, the new Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement was signed by Ontario to help further the commitment to create new child care spaces, ensure accessible high-quality care and ensure the affordability of before- and after-school programs. The District has completed the process of licensing its early learning programs in adherence with the Ministry standards for program delivery.
The OCDSB is now looking into amalgamating the two standing policies into one policy that better reflects the current practice in the District. The proposed amalgamated policy was presented to the Ad Hoc Policy Committee on September 13, 2023. The report accompanying the policy to the Committee can be viewed here.
Parents, caregivers, students, staff, and community members are welcome to share their feedback on these changes by emailing [email protected] up until September 29, 2023. The revised policy integrating the feedback will be presented to the Ad Hoc Committee for approval before it proceeds to the Board of Trustees for final approval in January 2024.