On December 31, 2026, the hold on Ontario child care fees ends. On March 31, 2027, the agreement funding the entire system expires. The $10-a-day promise has already been abandoned, with fees stuck at an average of $19 a day. Families have heard nothing about what they will pay next year, or whether their centre will still be open.

The cracks are already showing. Centres absorb rising costs on fees they cannot change. Educators leave for better pay. Ontario hit only about three-quarters of its interim space-creation target, and even the full goal falls short of demand. Renewing the current system as-is will not close the funding gap. Families will pay for it anyway, through closed rooms, longer waitlists, and fee shocks no one can plan for.

There is a realistic alternative. The ACE National 10-Point Framework is designed to work within the funding Ontario actually has, instead of waiting on money that has not come. It asks some families to pay a little more over time, so that every family still has a system to rely on.

Ten changes to make it last:

1. Cap fees; target $10-a-day spaces where need is greatest.
2. Cover 8–9 hours; charge for longer care.
3. End program eligibility when Junior Kindergarten starts.
4. Simplify funding and paperwork.
5. Define covered care; keep extras optional.
6. Let subsidies follow families to any licensed childcare.
7. Help centres outside the program retain educators.
8. Add spaces where shortages exist.
9. Fund essential repairs.
10. Fund fair pay for staff who aren’t registered ECEs.