The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care is reaching out to Ontario parents to collect stories about their experiences with Ontario’s child care system, as well as assess their level of satisfaction with the system and where there is room for improvement.

“Many parents are facing challenges finding and affording child care,” said Shelia Olan-MacLean, from Kawartha Child Care Services and President of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, in a press release. “Every day I meet families who are desperate for high-quality child care. There is a real lack of high-quality spaces for children and many families can’t afford the high cost.”

A recent special report from TD economics said investments in early learning and child care is one area governments should make a high priority in the next few years. Meanwhile, Ontario is falling behind. Quebec has $7-a-day child care and thousands of individuals and organizations in British Columbia have endorsed a campaign for $10 day child care.

“The parent survey will gather stories from every community about the hours, the cost, the quality, the local, the cultural diversity of child care services available,” said Olan-MacLean. “We also ask parents what is most important to them when choosing care and about challenges they have faced in accessing these services.

“We know that parents need access to child care in order to return to work or go to school. Difficulty finding a space that meets their family’s needs and that they can afford can be a huge stress in parents’ lives. It is important for decision-makers at all levels of government to hear what is and isn’t working for families. We need real solutions and concrete steps towards affordable child care for all families” said.

Parents can fill out the survey online at www.childcareontario.org/survey.