Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "Beginning January 1, 2024, child care fees across Prince Edward Island will drop to $10-a-day for all Island children attending Early Years Centres (EYCs) and licensed Family Home Centres (FHCs). Under the Canada-Prince Edward Island Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island committed to bringing the average fees for regulated child care to $10-a-day per child. To ensure affordability and equity across the province, PEI will be exceeding this commitment by investing additional dollars to make $10-a-day the standard child care fee at all EYCs and licensed FHCs in the province, and achieve this milestone ahead of the national target. Provincial subsidy and support programs will continue, covering fees for many Island families."

Excerpt: "More people are training for jobs as early childhood educators in the Lower Mainland and Greater Victoria area thanks to a government-funded Community and Employer Partnership project (CEP). As many as 40 people, most of them immigrant women, have the opportunity to learn new skills or start new careers, benefiting young children, families and communities. “We all want people to have meaningful work to build better lives,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “Through this training, people will get in-demand jobs, while local communities will be able to access more child care spaces.” The Province, in partnership with the federal government, is providing $1.2 million to YWCA Metro Vancouver to deliver its program, Discover, in three cohorts, training people to become early childhood educators. The second and third cohorts of the program are underway in Vancouver and Victoria, with 15 participants each. The first group completed the course in September 2023."

Excerpt: "To build and maintain this system, we need qualified and well-supported educators, as they are the cornerstone of the child care system. The federal government remains committed to working with provincial and territorial governments to support the recruitment, retention and recognition of this essential workforce."

Excerpt: "Under the Minor Infrastructure Program, existing or new licensed not-for-profit child-care providers can receive up to $250,000 for minor renovations that will increase child-care spaces, and up to another $25,000 for administrative expenses. The Family Home Start-Up Program will provide up to $7,500 to help people open a regulated site. Startup costs may include minor home improvements or purchasing materials and supplies to meet regulations and create quality early learning and child-care environments for children. These initiatives are part of the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, which supports the child-care system so all families have access to affordable, high-quality and inclusive care when and where they need it."

Excerpt: "Early childhood educators are vital to support the growth and development of children within the province. The Department of Education remains engaged with early childhood educators through regular virtual town hall meetings. The Provincial Government continues to invest heavily in domestic recruitment and retention initiatives, including: Additional funding to post-secondary institutions to ensure early childhood education programs are more accessible and to increase the number of graduates; A needs-based grant to provide eligible students in approved program with non-repayable grants of up to $10,000; Creation of a bursary and wage grid bonus specific to Francophone early childhood educators; The Early Childhood Educator Recruitment and Retention Grant. to provide eligible early childhood educators with $2,500 upon initial certification and renewal of Level 1-4 certification, up to a maximum of $7,500; Implementation of a wage grid for early childhood educators in April 2023 to recognize the valuable contribution they make in supporting the children of the province."

Excerpt: "Other measures, including the federal government’s new Canada-wide system of affordable early learning and child care, are also helping to make life more affordable for Canadians today (Chart 7). Already, six provinces and territories—Québec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, and Nunavut—have delivered $10-a-day or less regulated child care, and the remaining provinces and territories have reduced fees by at least 50 per cent and are on track to reaching fees of an average of $10-a-day by March 2026. These investments have also supported Québec to further improve its existing child care system through the creation of new spaces. Provincial estimates across Canada place annual per-child savings from between $2,000 (P.E.I.) to $14,300 (Nunavut), making life more affordable for families and supporting the achievement of a record 85.7 per cent labour force participation rate for Canadian women in their prime working years."

Excerpt: "We will work with the childcare sector to retain and recruit early childhood educators and create new, high-quality childcare spaces at workplaces and community hubs like the Park Community Centre in Brandon."

Excerpt: "High quality early learning and child care environments support improved outcomes for Yukon children, which is key for later success in school and life. The Government of Yukon is working to update the Child Care Act, which came into force on July 1, 1990. Changes to this legislation will consider the key principles of quality, affordability, inclusivity and accessibility. The public engagement process will begin next week. Over the following two months, meetings will be held with partner and stakeholder groups including Yukon First Nations governments, early learning educators, non-profit groups and operators of family day homes and child care centres. The public will be able to complete a short survey online and provide more detailed feedback about the topics most important to them."

Excerpt: "After extensive consultation, the province has developed a workforce strategy that responds to the issues and priorities of the sector. Starting in 2024, initiatives in the strategy include: Increasing the starting wage for RECEs employed by child care operators enrolled in the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system to $23.86/hour in 2024 from the planned $20/hour; Extending the eligibility ceiling for a $1/hour increase so more RECEs can benefit; Supporting entry into the profession and career development; Cutting red tape for employers and providing more flexibility in staffing their programs; Launching a promotional campaign to bolster awareness and value of the child care profession"

Excerpt: "Central Okanagan school district received approximately $29 million through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund to build new child care facilities on school grounds. Nearly 600 new child care spaces located at seven schools throughout Kelowna, West Kelowna and Lake Country have been funded, with approximately 250 open and 350 opening this winter and next spring."

Excerpt: "Three sites are under development and will be operational in St. John’s, Bonavista, and Corner Brook. These sites will create approximately 160 child care spaces and will be developed over the next six months. All sites will be operated by YMCA, and will consider hours of operation to ensure the child care services meet the needs of health professionals."

Excerpt: "The Governments of Canada and Nunavut today announced a three-year plan to improve and expand early learning and child care (ELCC) services in the territory. This is part of the Canada-Nunavut ELCC Agreement for 2021-2026. This plan, rooted in Nunavut’s strong partnerships with Inuit organizations, sets a road map for strengthening and expanding Nunavut’s child care sector, improving access to high-quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive child care for the territory’s families."