DRAFT LONDON-MIDDLESEX CHILD CARE & EARLY YEARS SERVICE SYSTEM PLAN 2019-2023 Corporation of the City of London as the Service System Manager for London & Middlesex County June 2019 Acknowledgement The City of London would like to acknowledge the children, youth, families, and service providers that support the City of London and Middlesex County to foster and grow a strategic, responsive family- centred child care and early years system. Executive Summary The Child Care and Early Years Service System Plan (service system plan) will serve as the roadmap for the next four years. As the Service System Manager (SSM) for London-Middlesex, the City of London has a mandate and directive from the Province of Ontario to engage in system-wide planning for licensed child care and early years. The service system plan provides a picture of the current services and opportunities for growth and development in London-Middlesex, based on the input and feedback from over 1,730 parents/ caregivers, as well as multiple service providers. It builds on the Family-Centred Service System work that has been underway in the community since 2007. Licensed child care and early years services have undergone transformative change in the last few years. A family-centred approach is at the core of this service system plan. In alignment with the work of London’s Child & Youth Network (CYN) and the Middlesex Children’s Service Network, the objective is to improve outcomes for families by creating change through a culture shift using a “collective impact” approach. This approach emphasizes collaboration between community partners and families, interprofessional practice among service providers, and the continued integration of services for families as a mechanism to improve access to supports and services. The City of London and Middlesex County are excited to continue to grow and expand this work over the next 4 years by strengthening the planned, strategic approach to collaboration with service system partners in the community. Child Care & Early Years Service System Plan | Corporation of the City of London | 2 Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 5 1.1 Preface ................................................................................................................................................ 5 1.2 How to read this document ................................................................................................................ 5 1.3 Provincial Approach ............................................................................................................................ 5 1.4 The Local Child Care and Early Years Service System ......................................................................... 7 1.4.1 Roles ............................................................................................................................................. 7 1.4.2 Local System Statistics ............................................................................................................... 10 2.0 The City of London ................................................................................................................................ 19 2.1 Context .............................................................................................................................................. 19 2.1.1 History ........................................................................................................................................ 19 2.1.2 London’s Family-Centred Service System Vision ....................................................................... 20 2.1.3 London’s Family-Centred Service System Outcomes ................................................................. 20 2.1.4 London’s Approach .................................................................................................................... 20 2.1.5 London’s Child Care and Early Years Service System Plan Goals ............................................... 20 2.2 The Community ................................................................................................................................. 21 2.2.1 Community Profile ..................................................................................................................... 21 2.2.2 Community Planning Approach and Process ............................................................................. 22 2.2.3 What was heard ......................................................................................................................... 24 2.3 Action Plan ........................................................................................................................................ 31 2.3.1 Strategic Priorities and Actions .................................................................................................. 32 2.3.2 Measurement ............................................................................................................................. 38 2.3.3 Accountability ............................................................................................................................ 39 3.0 Middlesex County ................................................................................................................................. 39 3.1 Context .............................................................................................................................................. 39 3.1.1 The Middlesex Opportunity ....................................................................................................... 39 3.2 The Community ................................................................................................................................. 40 3.2.1 Community Profile ..................................................................................................................... 40 3.2.2 Community Planning .................................................................................................................. 49 3.2.3 What was heard ......................................................................................................................... 51 3.3 Action Plan ........................................................................................................................................ 56 3.3.1 Child Care and Early Years System Outcomes ........................................................................... 56 3.3.2 Strategic Priorities and Actions .................................................................................................. 56 Child Care & Early Years Service System Plan | Corporation of the City of London | 3 3.3.3 Measurement ............................................................................................................................. 59 4.0 Moving Forward .................................................................................................................................... 60 Appendix 1 | London Environmental Scan and Neighbourhood Profiles (attached) Appendix 2 | Engagement Report: Family (attached) Appendix 3 | Engagement Report: Service Providers (attached) Appendix 4 | Engagement Report: Francophone (attached) Appendix 5 | Engagement Report: Indigenous (attached) Appendix 6 | Engagement Report: Child Voice (attached) Child Care & Early Years Service System Plan | Corporation of the City of London | 4 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Preface The Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) requires Service System Managers (SSMs) to establish a child care and early years programs and services plan (service system plan) that addresses matters of Provincial interest under the Act. Service system plans allow for a province-wide opportunity to analyze the impacts of programs and services, identify progress and service gaps, and foster evidence-based decision making to continue to support SSMs and the early years and child care sector. Regulations under the CCEYA provide information on procedures and content related to service system plans and duties of SSMs. These regulations require SSMs to update their plans at a minimum every five years and consult with service providers and families in the development and implementation of plans. In August 2017, it was announced that SSMs would be required to submit a Council-approved service system plan to the Ministry of Education by June 30, 2019. This document presents a single service system plan for the City of London and Middlesex County. This plan recognizes the differences between London and Middlesex County, but also recognizes the importance of a coordinated, integrated approach to service system planning across the SSM geographic area. The City of London, as the SSM for London and Middlesex County, has a long history of working collaboratively with children, families, and community partners to plan for an increasingly integrated system of services for children and families. The Child & Youth Network (CYN) and the Middlesex Children’s Services Network (MCSN) have been instrumental in this process. 1.2 How to read this document This document profiles the findings from engagement processes and environmental scans. These findings have guided the development of this plan. The City of London and Middlesex County are represented within individual sections of this document. This was intentionally done to preserve and respect the