Is child care worth it? It is a question I hear from parents, from educators, from owners and supervisors, and honestly, sometimes from myself. Ontario just extended its child care agreement for four more years, so it felt like the right time to have this conversation.

In this episode, I share what I looked for as a mom and an RECE when I chose child care for my youngest, what fees and waitlists really look like right now, and why the quality of child care always comes back to the quality of the educators. I also speak to the educators who love this work but are wondering if they can afford to stay, and to the owners, supervisors and dreamers who want to open their own centres.

In this episode: (0:42) Is child care worth it? (1:21) When I was the parent looking (3:27) Parents, let's talk about the money (5:03) Families who keep their children at home (5:57) What makes care worth it: the educators (7:44) Educators: can I afford to stay? (9:45) Owners, supervisors and dreamers (10:50) So, is it worth it?

Is it worth it for you? Send me a DM @ispyrtoeducate with the words "worth it" and share your story. I read every one. 💜

Resources: Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario (sign up for their newsletter): https://www.aeceo.ca Care Counts Rally, Thursday, October 29, 12 PM, Queen's Park South Lawn (RSVP): https://events.aeceo.ca/2026_rally Questions for candidates in the 2026 municipal elections (OCBCC): https://childcareontario.org/questions-for-candidates-in-the-2026-municipal-elections/ Find an EarlyON child and family centre: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-earlyon-child-and-family-centre Ontario child care and early years funding guidelines: https://www.ontario.ca/page/child-care-and-early-years-funding-guidelines

Sources mentioned in this episode: Canada and Ontario's four year child care agreement extension (Government of Canada): https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2026/09/canada-and-ontario-agree-to-four-year-extension-of-canadaontario-canada-wide-early-learning-and-child-care-agreement.html Child care arrangements in Canada, 2025 (Statistics Canada): https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/251021/dq251021c-eng.htm AECEO and OCBCC response to the extension: https://childcareontario.org/advocates-slam-agreement/ Long term impacts of universal child care (Baker, Gruber and Milligan study): https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20170603 Educator qualifications and the quality of early learning (research review): https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319837540 The economic returns of affordable child care in Canada (Centre for the Study of Living Standards): https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CSLS_Childcare_June_2026_Final_v3.pdf

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