Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "Budget 2018 supports more than 700 new and newly funded spaces, including funding for new child care construction in communities and schools across Manitoba. This leverages $47 million over three years in federal child care support under the recently signed Bi-Lateral Agreement on Early Learning and Child Care. Budget 2018 also includes more than $2 million in funding for a refundable tax credit – the Child Care Centre Development Tax Credit – to encourage private businesses to create new child care spaces in the workplace. A strong education system today means a stronger Manitoba tomorrow."

Excerpt: "The agreement allocates more than $7 million, over three years, to the Northwest Territories for early learning and child care investments. The funding will support: delivery of high-quality early learning and child care; culturally relevant professional development and training for all staff working within licensed early childhood programs; an increase in the number of qualified early childhood development professionals in licensed programs; and access to early learning and child care opportunities within all communities in the Northwest Territories."

Excerpt: "Many parents today are trying to balance family and career challenges. We're helping families by making it easier to access good and affordable child care. We're helping with child care by: providing free preschool child care for kids aged two-and-a-half until they're eligible for kindergarten, starting September 2020; helping families access over 100,000 new child care spaces; increasing access to before- and after-school programs for kids up to age 12."

Highlights: "Nearly $160 million to enhance the tax credit for childcare expenses; More than $80 million to support families with children: Improving the offering of childcare services in order to foster family-work-study balance; Providing the Fondation du Dr Julien with stronger support for social pediatrics; Supporting regional and local mobilization for early childhood development."

Excerpt: "Ontario is making an overall new investment of $2.2 billion over three years in child care, which includes over $930 million in 2020-21 to make licensed preschool child care free for kids from the age of 2.5 until they are eligible for kindergarten, beginning in September 2020. To support the expansion of quality, licensed child care, Ontario will also be introducing a wage grid for all program staff working in the early years and child care sector in April 2020 that will ensure their compensation is more closely aligned with Early Childhood Educators working in full-day kindergarten."

Excerpt: "This year, more new moms will have an easier time joining the workforce and more young families will benefit from affordable child care. We are expanding upon and learning from our $25-per day childcare pilot program. This year, we will create an additional 4,500 affordable childcare spaces across Alberta."

Excerpt: "For those young families with children, access to child care is also critically important. For mothers in particular, it means they can go back to work when they choose. Earlier this month, when we celebrated International Women's Day, we were reminded again that there is a long way to go to achieve gender equity. Only when we eliminate those barriers to child care will we get there. Thus far, your government has taken its first steps to make child care more accessible. The waitlist fees for child care have been eliminated, and a plan to help 100,000 more families access spots in child care is well underway. Subsidies are available for 60 per cent of all those new spaces, because they need to be an affordable choice for families. When children in Ontario turn four, they now have access to full-day kindergarten, which provides early, high-quality education to four and five-year-olds and huge savings for their families -- giving them a great start."

Except: "The agreement allocates just over $41 million, over three years, toward accessibility, inclusivity and quality in early learning and child care. The investment will support: establishing and expanding access to new licensed child care spaces; enhancing the quality of early learning and child care experiences for children; inclusive early learning opportunities for preschool-aged children who require intensive supports; and expanding Francophone early learning and child care for French language minority communities."

Excerpt: "The province will add 130 new pre-primary classes this fall, in 87 school communities across Nova Scotia."

Excerpt: "We are giving more children the best possible start in life through investments in early learning and child care. We now have agreements in place with nine provinces and territories to help create more of the high-quality, affordable child care spaces we know Canadian families need—tailored to their local realities. And think about the fact that the vast majority of single moms receiving the Canada Child Benefit make less than $60,000 a year, and now get about $9,000 on average in total benefits, tax-free."

Excerpt: "The agreement, which allocates close to $47 million over three years and aims to create an estimated 1,400 new and newly subsidized early learning and child care spaces in Manitoba, supports investments in: creating affordable child care spaces through enhanced capital funding and operating subsidies to support lower-income, French language and newcomer families as well as underserved communities; building sector capacity through education, training and skill development; developing a rural and Northern strategy to improve access to high-quality and affordable child care services; developing a new service and funding approach to support inclusive, active and meaningful participation of children with varying abilities and providing grants to community service organizations offering supportive family services to hire early childhood educators; and undertaking community engagement to successfully implement bilateral initiatives and support public reporting."

Excerpt: "The agreement allocates $153 million, over three years, to: create of 1370 new infant/toddler child care spaces through capital grants; provide operational funding to care providers to administer low-cost infant/toddler spaces and reduce parent fees for at least 1786 children; apply new streams of bursaries and grants to recruit and retain early childhood educators and support up to 4000 current and future educators in obtaining or upgrading their Early Childhood Educator certification; direct new funds into the existing systems to expand culturally-based Indigenous child care to create on- and off-reserve programming, 390 new spaces, and benefit approximately 590 families; and enhance inclusive programs for approximately 7278 children with special needs."