High quality and affordable care is highly important for all children and parents. Unfortunately, there is a lack of understanding of the importance of school-age child care in Ontario. Due to this, there are spaces available for only 9 % of all children ages 9-12 out of the 192,525 children who are in need of quality care. This is a serious problem for children, families and the community. The government of Ontario needs to take action by: - Directly funding after school programs for children 6-12 - Provide infrastructure support and funding and increase subsidies - Establish standards to ensure that programs are meeting the developmental needs of children - Commit to long-term spaces for after school programs The Government of Ontario must make a significant long-term investment in continued early learning for children ages 6-12 in their 2010 Budget.