Item - 2017.ED24.5

The Economic Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council receive the report (September 25, 2017) from the General Manager, Children's Services and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture for information.

The General Manager, Children's Services and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture gave a presentation on the Economic and Social Impacts of an Accessible, High Quality Child Care System in Toronto.

This report responds to a directive from Council to assess the economic and social impacts of more affordable childcare on Toronto's economy.  Extensive and compelling literature exists on the positive short-term and long-term socio-economic impacts of investing in a high quality, accessible early learning and child care system.  This report summarizes the literature and, where possible and appropriate, applies a Toronto lens to the documented impacts. 

Toronto City Council recently adopted Toronto’s 10 year Licensed Child Care Growth Strategy, which lays out a roadmap for building the more accessible child care system that Toronto families need.  To achieve its vision, the plan requires significant, sustained investments from all three orders of government.  This report clearly lays out why these investments make sense not only for Toronto’s children and families, but for its economy at large.