Today is Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. These educators create a safe and loving environment where children can flourish and develop essential life skills. They instill a love for learning and curiosity that will last a lifetime. Their role extends beyond mere supervision; they are our children’s first mentors and role models, shaping their early experiences and laying the foundation for their future success.

But ECEs tell me that they’re not feeling very valued today. So how can this government step up and ensure the child care sector is there for families and children when they need them?

For over a year, we’ve been raising alarm bells that the workforce crisis threatens child care in this province.

The minister needs to release the report they conducted back in January—where the ministry’s own summaries consultations revealed to “pay ECEs more.”

The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, experts and workers have told this government that the $10-a-day child care program is under threat because of low pay and poor working conditions, with the average ECE staying in the field for just three years.

You need child care workers in child care spaces.

This minister and this government promised ECEs a wage increase in June. So we are asking the minister: Will he keep his promise and commit today to a salary scale of at least $30 per hour for RECEs and $25 for non-RECEs to get the program back on track, and to get parents the affordable child care spots they need and deserve so they can get back to work?

My question is for the current Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

It has been five years and four ministers, and this government has still only managed to have the same number of children enrolled to receive needs-based core autism services before they changed the program five years ago. Five years ago, there were 23,000 families waiting for these services; now, there are over 60,000. That’s more than will fit into Rogers stadium, Speaker. How is this better? Can the minister please tell us where the progress is?

According to the reports based on a freedom-of-information, the minister’s own transition binder says, “Most children and youth will not receive core clinical services funding in the short to medium term.”

What does this minister have to say to the families who are here, who are left struggling? And please, for the love of children—not the same old talking points that we’ve been listening to for the last five years.

Interjections.