Child-care wait lists have ballooned across Ontario since the province signed on to the national $10-a-day program, as demand due to the lower fees appears to be far outpacing the creation of new spaces in many regions.
In Kawartha Lakes, one of several municipalities with a central wait list, children are now set to spend an average of 6.4 years waiting for licensed child care, up from an average of 3.7 years in early 2022, before Ontario joined the program.
"Many will age-out before they have access to a space," Janine Mitchell, manager of social services, wrote in a report to council in December.