Ottawa’s original program provided $35-billion to provinces, territories and Indigenous partners through bilateral funding deals.

Ontario has signed a one-year extension of its child-care agreement with the federal government, according to a letter from Education Minister Paul Calandra.

Mr. Calandra said in the letter, which was addressed to parents and guardians, that the funding will keep fees at their average of $19 per day until at least Dec. 31, 2026, with a maximum of $22 per day. The funding had been set to expire at the end of next March.

“This extension ensures continuity of the program for the coming year, providing much-needed stability for families,” he wrote in the letter .

In 2021, the federal government introduced a Canada-wide early learning and child-care program. It

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