Some daycares in Sudbury are moving ahead with $10 a day childcare

Daycares in Sudbury are planning ahead after opting in for the $10 a day childcare program.

Local daycares in Greater Sudbury say they are thrilled to move ahead with the plan that will save parents money and say this is what parents and families deserve.

Discovery Early Learning & Care in Sudbury is just one of the places that has opted-in.

Currently, the centre is waiting to hear back from the city before it can move ahead.“We are excited. We know that families deserve to have affordable rates and the decrease could have been much more if the agreements were signed earlier but they weren’t,” Tracy Saarikoski, Discovery Early Learning & Care’s executive director, told CTV News.

“So, we’re going to April 1st, retro back that eligible families will receive a 25 per cent discount credit on their fees.”

The Walden Daycare Centre in Lively has also opted into the $10 a day childcare.

The centre says it signed up as soon as it could a few months back, and ever since, parents have had their fees cut by 25 per cent.

“So, we bill by the end of the month and so by May 1st we were ready to roll and we have the rebate for April and it’s been going great ever since,” said Mary Lou Coffey, executive director with Walden Day Care Centre.

“The first month we had a few calls saying “I think you made a mistake on our bill” but once we explained it to them they were very very delighted. Affordable childcare is what we wanted for years and years. So, it’s a win.”

Some daycare officials say the next step is to address the labour shortages and make changes to bring in more staff.

“We need to address what’s happening now. The retention and recruitment in the Early Learning and Childhood sector is at a real low. It’s at a crisis state,” said Saarikoski.

“So, we need to change that narrative. The government needs to listen and really think about how can we retain these professionals. People are leaving the sector totally.”

Officials say by the end of December, a 50 per cent decrease in fees will be in place.

The $10 a day plan is still set to be in place in Ontario by 2025.