91直播

Policy Monitor

The Policy Monitor tracks Federal, Provincial and Territorial early childhood policy initiatives, developments and announcements.

Search

Saskatchewan
Excerpt: "But more families need access to affordable child care. That鈥檚 why, today in Regina, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and the Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, on behalf of the Honourable Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, joined Sameema Haque, Assistant Deputy Minister of Saskatchewan鈥檚 Ministry of Education, to announce $27.7 million over four years, with $19.1 million through 2025鈥2026, to help build more inclusive child care spaces across Saskatchewan through the Government of Canada鈥檚 $625-million Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund. This investment will help Saskatchewan reach the shared goal of building 28,000 new child care spaces by 2026. Through this Fund, all provinces and territories will be able to make further investments in child care, so more families can save up to $14,300 on child care every year, per child."

Ontario
Excerpt: "The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that the Government of Canada is providing Ontario with $201.87 million to create child care spaces and support inclusive child care services across the province, especially in underserved communities. This investment, part of the previously announced $625 million Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund, will help Ontario reach our goal of creating 86,000 new child care spaces by 2026 鈥 meaning more families in Ontario can access affordable spaces. It will mean more spaces in rural and remote regions, high-cost and low-income urban neighbourhoods, and communities that face barriers to access, including racialized groups, Indigenous Peoples, official language minority communities, newcomers, as well as parents, caregivers, and children with disabilities. We are working with all other provincial and territorial partners to reach similar funding agreements."

Quebec
Excerpt: "Every child deserves the best start in life. That鈥檚 why, today in Montreal, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Transport and Quebec lieutenant, and the Honourable Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announced $123 million over four years, with $82 million through 2025-2026, to help build more inclusive child care spaces across Quebec through the Government of Canada鈥檚 $625 million Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund. This investment will help Quebec reach the shared goal of building 30,000 new child care spaces by 2026. The funding announced today builds on previous investments made under the asymmetrical agreement between the governments of Canada and Quebec on early learning and child care. Funding from the Government of Canada will enable Quebec to support its priorities in terms of early childhood education and care, and measures to improve inclusiveness."

Yukon
Excerpt: "But more families need access to affordable child care. That鈥檚 why, today in Whitehorse, the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, joined the Honourable Jeanie McLean, Yukon鈥檚 Minister of Education and Minister responsible for the Women and Gender Equity Directorate, to announce $10.5 million over four years, with $7.7 million through 2025鈥2026, to help build more inclusive child care spaces across the Yukon through the Government of Canada鈥檚 $625-million Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund. The Yukon has already far exceeded the shared goal of building 110 new child care spaces by 2026, and this investment will further help the territory. Through this Fund, all provinces and territories will be able to make further investments in child care, so more families can save up to $14,300 on child care every year, per child. These investments will aim to support families in rural and remote communities, as well as families in communities that face barriers to access, such as racialized groups, Indigenous Peoples, newcomers, official language minority communities, and children, parents and employees with disabilities. Funding may also be used to support infrastructure to provide care during non-standard hours."

Nova Scotia
Excerpt: "Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) will add more spaces to its child study centre in Halifax and expand the age groups it serves with funding support from the provincial and federal governments. This will help meet the need for child care in the community and enhance the education and professional development of aspiring early childhood educators in the university鈥檚 child and youth study program, while offering research opportunities in the field. 鈥淲e are pleased to support the expansion of MSVU鈥檚 child-care facility. Families need greater access to reliable and affordable child care, and we need more professionals to provide that care,鈥 said Becky Druhan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud of the work MSVU is doing to help meet the needs of families in the community.鈥 The larger facility will add an additional 82 spaces and introduce up to 32 infant spaces. Parents who are on the existing wait list will be given priority."

Manitoba
Excerpt: "Manitoba鈥檚 early learning and child-care wage grid sets recommended starting-point and target wages for various positions within the early learning and child-care sector. The province provides facilities with a wage grid supplement. This additional funding helps facilities increase wages to meet the wage grid levels. Funding for wages in 2024-25 will increase by 2.75 per cent beginning July 1 for a total additional funding contribution of $10.9 million: $10.3 million from the government of Canada and $600,000 from the Manitoba government."

Nova Scotia
Excerpt: "Whereas Nova Scotia indicates that since signing the agreement, there have been challenges expending its 2022 to 2023 allocation due to diverse implementation challenges. Whereas the parties agree to increase in fiscal year 2022 to 2023, Nova Scotia's carry forward allowance from 30% to 63% for 2022 to 2023 into 2023 to 2024. Now therefore, the parties agree to amend the agreement, as follows: section 4 is amended by replacing article 4.6.2 with the following: "4.6.2 In fiscal year 2022 to 2023, at the request of Nova Scotia, and subject to the approval of Canada's Treasury Board by the federal Minister, Nova Scotia may retain and carry forward to the following fiscal year any unexpended funds remaining from Nova Scotia's annual funding payable under section 4.2, up to a maximum of 63% of the contribution payable. Any unexpended funds in excess of 63% of the contribution payable represents an overpayment subject to section 4.7.""

Nova Scotia
Excerpt: "Families in Hammonds Plains will see more early learning and child-care spaces opening in their community this summer. It Takes a Village Child Care Centre on Parkland Drive in Halifax is opening a second location at 1432 Hammonds Plains Rd. The new centre is expected to create about 75 new child-care spaces for toddlers and preschool-aged children. 鈥淣ova Scotians have told us they need better access to child care, and that鈥檚 exactly what we are providing,鈥 said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Becky Druhan. 鈥淭hese new spaces are part of our updated expansion plan to increase access to child care across the province.鈥 This is the first project approved under the Province鈥檚 new Minor Infrastructure Program for New Early Learning and Child Care Space Creation that offers funding to licensed not-for-profit child-care providers to quickly renovate and expand."

Newfoundland & Labrador
Excerpt: "Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House to highlight our government鈥檚 efforts to improve access to early learning and child care in the province. These efforts have been recognized in a recent report by the Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development, which ranks Newfoundland and Labrador fourth in the country amongst all provinces and territories when comparing governance, funding, access, the early learning environment, and accountability. Speaker, our government has been listening and responding to the needs of families, service providers, and the early learning workforce. We have implemented recruitment and retention initiatives for early childhood educators; we have provided incentives and funding to increase the number of early learning and child care spaces; and we are continuing to ensure that regulated child care is high quality, affordable and inclusive."

New Brunswick
Excerpt: "The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development will partner with the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick to provide training to 400 early childhood educators over the next four years. Beginning this fall, 100 of them in the anglophone sector will be invited to participate in a training program entitled Talk, Sing, Read Everyone, Everywhere! The training includes coaching and mentoring so that early childhood educators can feel confident about their skills."

Ontario
Excerpt: "Cellphones and mobile device restrictions in schools: Every school will have uniform policy to have cellphones on silent and removed from sight at the beginning of instructional time 鈥 the new default unless explicitly directed by the educator; If students do not comply, cellphones are immediately surrendered where there is no explicit allowance from the educator; For students in kindergarten to Grade 6, there will be a cellphone restriction for the entire school day, but they may be used with permission from the educator; A strengthened personal mobile devices policy with clear responsibilities broken down amongst staff and a requirement for best practices to be developed and shared with staff; Social media sites will be banned on all school networks and devices; Requirement that educators and staff model behaviour and not use personal mobile devices during class for non-work related reasons; New ban on sharing and recording videos or photos of individuals without explicit consent; $500,000 for digital literacy supports for students during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years."

New Brunswick
Excerpt: "New Brunswick has ranked first in a report on early childhood education released by the University of Toronto鈥檚 91直播. 鈥淥ur province is committed to providing quality early learning and child-care services to New Brunswick families, and the results of this report show how far we have come,鈥 said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Bill Hogan. 鈥淭hose who work in the early learning sector are shaping the adults of tomorrow, and they are supporting families who are at work and studying. They work incredibly hard every day and we deeply appreciate the work they do in laying the foundation for our youngest learners.鈥"