Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "Universal kindergarten for 4 year- olds will be rolled out taking into account the school system's current resources. The teachers will be supported by an educator or special education technician and a team of professionals. The government plans to add 250 new classes starting in September 2019."

Excerpt: "Investing in the middle class means investing in people—with more help for those who need it, and less for those who don't. It means building a better Canada—a stronger, more connected country—and it means better opportunities for people today, and the promise of a better future, even in a world of constant change."

Excerpt: "That’s why we established a $25-a-day child care pilot program and expanded it to 7,300 spaces across 122 licensed child-care centres. But even still, child care is far too expensive for far too many women and families. That’s why, this year, your government will undertake a major new program to help young mothers and families save thousands of dollars and help make child care more affordable for everyone."

Excerpt: "The new measure will be available to parents, including adoptive or same-sex parents, for a child born or placed for the purpose of adoption on or after March 17, 2019—as long as they are eligible for and share their Employment Insurance parental benefits. When parents agree to do so, they will benefit from one of the following: five additional weeks of parental benefits when choosing the standard option; or eight additional weeks for those who choose the extended option."

Excerpt: "As of March 2018, the availability of ELCC Centres supported an estimated 328 Albertans to enter or re-enter the workforce. 92% of parents said their children’s enrolment at a child care centre enabled them to return to work or school."

Excerpt: "The report concluded that the recruitment and retention challenges faced by child care centresresult from a complex and dynamic interaction of several contributing factors. The authors note that “Solving recruitment and retention problems in child care requires a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach that must take into account and simultaneously address: (1) the need to moderate the stress in the job; (2) compensation (wages, benefits and working conditions); (3) the accessibility of ECCE training; and (4) the current low level of public respect for the job.”"

Excerpt: "For Métis Nation children and families, access to high-quality early learning and child care that is culturally appropriate is crucial. Today, Chandra Arya, Member of Parliament for Nepean, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, along with the President of the Métis National Council (MNC), Clément Chartier, and Métis Nation Minister of Social Development, David Chartrand, announced the signing of the first ever Métis Nation Early Learning and Child Care Accord."

Excerpt: "The Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development, at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, released its 2017 Early Childhood Education Report. This report assesses early childhood education programming in Canada by province and territory. From 2014 to 2017, the Northwest Territories’ rating increased from 6.5 to 8.0 out of 15, which places the NWT exactly in the middle of all of the provinces and territories. This ranking shows that as a government we have made early childhood development a priority and are investing in our youngest residents; a commitment that must continue."

Excerpt: "Last year, government took its first steps to make quality child care more affordable and available to more B.C. families. A $1 billion dollar investment over three years – the most significant child care investment in B.C. history – will reduce child care costs, increase the number of spaces and deliver the highest quality care.

Tens of thousands of B.C. families are already enjoying the benefits. With child-care costs reduced by hundreds of dollars a month, young families can consider home ownership for the first time. More parents can participate fully in the workforce, confident their children are getting high-quality care from early childhood educators who know their work is valued.

This year, government will set the foundation for the full implementation of B.C.’s affordable child care program. A key element of this effort will be a collaborative process to develop new legislation to give universal access to quality, affordable childcare the force of law."

Excerpt: "The proposed changes include: Increasing the number of young children that home-based child care providers can have in their care, from two under two-years-old, to three under two-years-old; Lowering the age at which home-based child care providers must count their own children towards the maximum allowable number of children in care, from six-years-old to four-years-old; Reducing the age requirement from six-years-old to four-years-old for authorized recreation programs that serve children after school; Removing the restriction that a parent must receive financial assistance before licensed in-home child care services can be provided for their child."

Excerpt: "The government will give back to families and seniors nearly $1.7 billion over five years. To do so, it is planning on the following: payment of a more generous family allowance for families with two or more children beginning in 2019; freeze on the additional contribution for subsidized childcare as of 2019."

Excerpt: "“We are very excited to be able to allocate more licensed child care centre spaces,” Hargrave said. “Today’s announcement brings our total allocation to nearly 1,200 new spaces across the province this year. Access to affordable, high-quality child care is important to families across Saskatchewan and we are very pleased to make child care accessible for more families in Prince Albert.”"