Ontario child care centres turning to underqualified staff as workforce crisis worsens

QUEEN’S PARK – Shadow Minister with responsibility for Child Care and Pensions, Teresa Armstrong (London–Fanshawe), says new data showing a sharp rise in the use of “director approvals” is a clear sign Ontario’s child care pressures are getting worse under Ford’s watch:

“We need to do better for our children,” said Armstrong. “These numbers are alarming, and I cannot imagine the anxiety that parents across Ontario are feeling as they see affordable and reliable child care get more and more out of reach.”

Armstrong said childcare centres are being pushed into incredibly difficult decisions just to stay open.

“When you can’t hire or keep RECEs, exemptions become the default,” she said. “That puts more pressure on already stretched staff and raises serious concerns about quality and stability of care for our kids. What was meant to be an exception has become the norm, thanks to this government’s lack of a real strategy.”

Armstrong said the warning signs have been there for years.

“I introduced legislation in 2024 to create a workforce strategy for childcare, and Conservatives voted it down while insisting they already had a plan. It’s beyond disheartening,” she said. “Reports like this show families and educators are paying the price for that failure.”