Engagement to Date

Targeted Engagement

The plan will incorporate input from families, service providers, school boards and community partners. Optimus SBR has engaged with key stakeholders to reflect on what's working well and celebrate successes, as well as discuss challenges and strategic solutions in supporting positive outcomes for young children in our community. This has included:

  • Discovery interviews with internal staff who lead childcare and early years (CEYS) programs

  • Focus groups with members of the front-line CEYS team

  • Focus groups with Francophone partners

  • Focus groups with early years and child care service providers, including a leadership session and front-line session

  • Community engagement sessions with staff supporting licensed child care for children aged 0-5 years, Before and After School Programs, EarlyON Child and Family programs, Indigenous early years programs and Special Needs Resourcing programs

In addition to direct engagement, the City will also consider data from Kingston’s Knowing Our Numbers report, a research study conducted through the University of Toronto that produced a Kingston-specific analysis of the Early Childhood Educator workforce, as well as in Ontario.

As part of regular engagement with parents and caregivers, the annual Child Care and Early Years Program Survey provided critical feedback in 2024 from 546 parents and guardians in the Kingston-Frontenac area.

Background on Child Care and Early Years Program Survey

The City of Kingston conducted this survey to provide local families with the opportunity to assess various aspects of their child care program, including child engagement, program quality, communication, nutrition, affordability, inclusivity, and overall satisfaction.

Responses were used to identify strengths and areas for improvement, and to guide future planning and enhancements.

What We Heard: 2024 Child Care and Early Years Program Survey

In November 2024, 546 participants provided responses to the Child Care and Early Years Program Survey.

The feedback received from parents and caregivers reflects a high level of overall satisfaction with the child care centre programs in the region, particularly in areas of communication, staff engagement, and diverse activities for children.

While most parents / caregivers feel positively about their experience, there are opportunities for improvement in communication clarity, meal variety, and accessibility of staff during drop-off times. There are also areas to improve within the overall service system, such as better understanding and increased support for the City’s child care registry system (waitlist), support for the addition of more child care spaces, advocating for better wages for child care staff and options for alternative hours and/or extended hours to support various work schedules.