Item - 2025.EC22.1

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council direct the General Manager, Children's Services to follow guidance from local Indigenous-led organizations and associations to co-develop and implement an Indigenous-led Early Years and Child Care Service Plan, ensuring clear roles in shared decision-making, implementation, and ongoing oversight.

2. City Council request the Province of Ontario and Government of Canada to recognize Indigenous rights, governance systems, and holistic approaches to early learning and child care and ensure legislation, policy, and funding frameworks respond accordingly.

3. City Council approve Toronto’s Early Years and Child Care Service Plan 2025-2030, included as Attachment 1 to the report (June 24, 2025) from the General Manager, Children's Services.

4. City Council instruct the General Manager, Children's Services, to forward the approved Service Plan to the Ministry of Education and Toronto school boards for their information and reference.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council direct the General Manager, Children's Services to follow guidance from local Indigenous-led organizations and associations to co-develop and implement an Indigenous-led Early Years and Child Care Service Plan, ensuring clear roles in shared decision-making, implementation, and ongoing oversight.

2. City Council request the Province of Ontario and Government of Canada to recognize Indigenous rights, governance systems, and holistic approaches to early learning and child care and ensure legislation, policy, and funding frameworks respond accordingly.

3. City Council approve Toronto’s Early Years and Child Care Service Plan 2025-2030, included as Attachment 1 to the report (June 24, 2025) from the General Manager, Children's Services.

4. City Council instruct the General Manager, Children's Services, to forward the approved Service Plan to the Ministry of Education and Toronto school boards for their information and reference.

The General Manager, Children's Services gave a presentation to the Economic and Community Development Committee on Toronto’s Early Years and Child Care Service Plan, 2025-2030.

This report seeks approval of Toronto’s Early Years and Child Care Service Plan, 2025-2030 (“Service Plan”).  The Service Plan guides Toronto’s approach, in collaboration with sector partners, to planning and managing the early years and child care system over the next five years.

As the early years and child care sector responds to new realities resulting from the implementation of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system and changes to the socioeconomic landscape, the Service Plan provides a responsive, strategic framework with clear actions to support the sector as it navigates these changes. The Service Plan was developed through comprehensive stakeholder engagement involving families, early years and child care staff, service providers and operators, school boards, and community organizations, including Indigenous leaders in the sector. This ensures that the Service Plan is grounded in the lived realities and insights of Toronto’s diverse families, whose experiences are at the heart of this work.