Help us create a more accessible and inclusive child care system
Children’s Services recognizes the immense benefits to children when there is a warm and shared sense of belonging. We know children benefit from being exposed to diverse ways of being, as well as having their culture and history embedded and well represented in early childhood settings.
Under this approach, Children’s Services is working to support the region’s youngest residents. The newly developed Children’s Access and Inclusion Plan works to create more opportunities for all children in the community, and aligns well with the Region’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan: Growing with Care.
Over the last few years, Children’s Services has heard feedback from parents, educators and caregivers on what is working, but also not working in the child care sector.
Throughout these engagements, some of the following challenges were identified:
- A lack of licensed high quality child care spaces
- Administrative barriers to accessing child care subsidy
- Systemic barriers to accessing child care spaces for lower income families
- A lack of culturally appropriate child care for Indigenous children
- Challenges in navigating the child care system, especially for those with language barriers
- Limited availability of licensed child care outside of traditional work hours
- Under-representation of engagement in certain communities
- Limited supports in licensed home child care for children with special needs
The Children’s Access and Inclusion Plan takes the next step in addressing these challenges. It outlines 16 strategic actions stemmed from the priorities identified within the broader 2022-2026 Early Years and Child Care Service System Plan.
The 16 strategic actions are focused on the following:
- Creating more child care spaces
- Creating more welcoming and inclusive environments for children
- Removing barriers to accessing services
- Collecting more useful data
- Engaging more with under-served communities
We’re looking to hear from you! There is still work to be done and the Region is looking for community feedback to continue the work into Phase 2. To participate, visit regionofwaterloo.ca/childrens-access-inclusion-plan.