Ontario Liberals promise free preschool child care in 2020
Ontario's Liberal government says it plans to fund free child care for thousands of kids across the province starting in 2020.
The government, which is facing a spring election, says the new program would cover children once they turn two-and-a-half and cover the costs of full-day, licensed child care until they are eligible to start kindergarten.
The program is estimated to cost $2.2 billion.
Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the initiative this morning, a day before the government is set to unveil its final provincial budget before a June election.
The child care initiative is the latest in a string of big-ticket spending announcements the government has made in the run up to the budget.
In Ontario, kids are eligible for junior kindergarten in the calendar year they turn four, and senior kindergarten the year they turn five.
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