Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "In the year ending March 31, 2020: The number of licensed child care centres increased by almost 1% to 5,565 centres, of which more than 3,000 centres were located in publicly funded schools; The number of licensed child care spaces grew by 16,206 spaces to 462,802 spaces, representing an increase of 4%. All age groups have seen an increase in spaces: a 4% increase for infants, toddlers, Kindergarten, and school age children; a 3% increase for preschool children; and an increase from 418 to 692 spaces for the “family age group”; A total of 131 home child care agencies were in operation, with 8,296 approved homes affiliated with these agencies; More than 2,000 individuals were approved to receive grants to support them in obtaining an early childhood education diploma."

Excerpt: "The COVID-19 outbreak has further highlighted the importance of having a range of high-quality child care and early years programs, that provide rich social, emotional and early learning experiences for children while allowing families to work. The outbreak has also highlighted what we already knew about people working in the child care and early years sector: they are passionate, dedicated and child-centred, able to adapt to changing circumstances while always keeping the best interests of children and families at heart."

Excerpt: "Your government will develop a modern child care system and funding model that will enable and support the child care sector to grow in line with demand from Manitoba families, provide greater equity in the type of support given to families, and offer choices and flexibility that reflects the needs and challenges today’s parents face."

Excerpt: "Canada and Yukon agree that the long term vision, principles and objectives for early learning and child care, which are set out in the Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework that is attached as an Annex (Annex 1), will guide the investment of funds provided under this Agreement."

Excerpt: "The Ontario government is providing $24.3 million in targeted investments to hire additional staff, increase access to counselling and therapy, create new programs to help manage stress, depression and anxiety, and address eating disorders and other challenges facing children and youth. This funding is part of the government's $176 million investment in the Roadmap to Wellness, a comprehensive plan to build a fully connected mental health and addictions system across the province."

Excerpt: "The Ontario government is investing $550 million to build 20 new schools and eight permanent school additions across the province in 2020-21. These new projects will create nearly 16,000 new student learning spaces and 870 new licensed child care spaces as part of the government's ongoing efforts to improve and build modern schools."

Excerpt: "The program will be delivered through the already established Operating Grant Program. Regulated child care services that participate in the program are provided a grant to offset the reduced fees they charge families. That grant amount will be increased to allow them to reduce their fees further and charge just $25 a day."

Excerpt: "Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen, announced $137 million in federal support for Quebec’s child care sector to help ensure that safe and sufficient child care spaces are available to support parents’ gradual return to work."

Excerpt: "The agreement allocates nearly $2.4 million in 2020-21 to Nunavut for early learning and child care investments. Nunavut’s priority areas of investment include supporting and maintaining access to affordable early learning and child care programs through operations funding, creating child care spaces in underserved communities, promoting training and professional development opportunities for early childhood educators, and developing teaching resources and programming materials in all of Nunavut’s official languages."

Excerpt: "The government is acting based on feedback, outlined in the report, by: Supporting consistent quality programs in child care and early years settings by developing a provincial definition of "quality child care" that will provide parents and the child care sector with clear, consistent high-quality programming across the province; Creating more options for families and providers through increased choice in-home child care settings; Increasing access to before and after school programs by allowing authorized recreation programs to provide both before and after programs, rather than just one; Supporting workforce recruitment and retention; Clarifying program guidelines related to Special Needs Resourcing by working with other ministries to identify opportunities for providing health and rehabilitation services to children with medical needs in licensed child care, children's recreation programs and day camp programs; Supporting Indigenous-led and culturally relevant programming including examining current programs to promote better alignment with Indigenous history and culture; Reducing administrative burdens and addressing technical issues and gaps."

Excerpt: "Every four-year-old in Nova Scotia now has access to pre-primary, a free, universal early learning program."

Excerpt: "Canada and Nunavut agree that the long term vision, principles and objectives for early learning and child care, which are set out in the Framework that is attached as Annex 1, will guide the investment of funds provided under this Agreement."