Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "Alberta’s government has expanded the paid hours that are eligible for existing wage top-ups for front-line certified ECEs. As of Oct. 1, all paid hours are now eligible for the existing wage top-ups, including indirect time and employer-paid vacation time. These measures represent an investment of nearly $90 million in federal and provincial funding through to the end of fiscal 2025-26. Provincial funding will support this enhanced wage top-up for certified ECEs working in out-of-school care programs."

Excerpt: "Recognizing that affordable child care is crucial to helping people, particularly women, enter or re-enter the workforce, My Government has been a national leader in lowering costs to $10 a day starting this coming January."

Excerpt: "The department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) invited Indigenous governments, licensed early learning and child care program operators, early childhood educators, and the public to provide their feedback on the proposed amendments. These amendments seek to establish an NWT certification process and wage grid, increase inclusion and reporting measures, establish cost control measures, protect the rights of families, and update language used in the Act. The What We Heard Report includes a summary of feedback from engagement that took place in June 2022."

Excerpt: "The 24 child-care facilities will each receive grants between $5,000 and $25,000, depending on the number of infant and preschool spaces offered. These facilities applied for grants during the 2020-21 Indigenous Programming Grant intake. “This grant will be used to enhance Indigenous-focused curriculum and programming in our centres,” said Fernanda Hodgsons, executive director, Day Nursery Centre. “It provides us with a step in the right direction toward reconciliation and a greater understanding of our Indigenous families and community.”"

Excerpt: "The Province is directly funding licensed child care centres so families will not need to apply for these savings. This funding will lower fees for children, kindergarten-aged and younger. These additional savings, which build on earlier fee cuts introduced as part of the Province’s $2.7-billion investment in ChildCareBC since 2018, are being funded through the five-year, $3.2-billion Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement."

Excerpt: "The Province is making education accessible by working with Capilano University (CapU) on a new centre for childhood studies that will more than double the available child care spaces on campus. Slated to open late 2024, the centre will add 74 affordable new child care spaces for a total of 143 on-campus spaces for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers. Students, employees and community members are all eligible to apply for space for their children at the new centre."

Excerpt: "The Governments of Saskatchewan and Canada are investing $5.4 million to provide up to $2 an hour increase for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs). This is in recognition of the important services they provide in supporting families who require child care. The investment will assist child care centres in providing improved wages in the recruitment and retention of ECEs. This Wage Enhancement Grant will be funded through the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, which also supports future ECEs with free post-secondary training, professional development opportunities and many other programs."

Excerpt: "The Ready-to-Learn Schools program was first launched as a pilot project at Takhini Elementary School in 2019 and was adopted by Selkirk Elementary School in 2021. This school year the program will be implemented at St. Elias Community School in Haines Junction, Nelnah Bessie John School in Beaver Creek and Grey Mountain Primary School and Jack Hulland Elementary School in Whitehorse. Responsive instructional approaches will eventually be implemented in all Yukon schools."

Excerpt: "The Ministry of Education and Child Care is investing $8.2 billion to support students, invest in schools and support the transition and delivery of child care. Of this total, there is $7.4 billion for kindergarten to Grade 12 education this year, which is $1.8 billion more than in 2016-17. This is a total increase of 32%."

Excerpt: "This addendum to the Ontario Child Care and EarlyON Child and Family Centres Service Management and Funding Guideline (2022) (“CWELCC Guidelines”) will provide CMSMs/DSSABs with information on recent changes arising from the new investments through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) Agreement."

Excerpt: "As part of the new Family Affordability Package, Manitoba families with children and a household income of less than $175,000 in 2021 will receive a Family Affordability benefit cheque of $250 for the first child and $200 for each additional child. An estimated 145,000 families with approximately 282,000 children will benefit with an average cheque of approximately $440 per family, totalling $63 million in benefits."

Excerpt: "The Alberta Home Visitation Network Association will use $1.5 million in federal funding for in-person and virtual workshops to provide opportunities to early childhood educators working in licenced child-care centres to enhance their knowledge of the social and emotional needs of children up to 12 years old. The workshops will include an introduction to infant and early childhood mental health that focuses on the importance of understanding behaviours and cultural self-awareness. Training for educators working with children aged 6 to 12 will also include mental health first aid for helping kids in crisis, and youth mental health supports."