Policy Monitor

Valuing Children, Families and Childcare Report: The task force had a mandate to provide a path for creating the right conditions for child care and to suggest ways to address the challenges parents face in obtaining access to quality and affordable child care services.

Excerpt: "Budget 2016 proposes to introduce a teacher and early childhood educator school supply tax credit for 2016 and subsequent taxation years. This measure will allow an employee who is an eligible educator to claim a 15% refundable tax credit based on an amount of up to $1,000 of purchases of eligible teaching supplies by the employee in a taxation year."

Excerpt: "This new plan provides a picture of our current services and challenges in Waterloo Region, which is based on input and feedback from parents, service providers and child care operators."

Excerpt: "Indira Naidoo-Harris, MPP for Halton, becomes Associate Minister of Education (Early Years and Child Care). She will lead the government's efforts, in partnership with the Minister of Education, to build a high-quality, accessible and affordable early years and child care system that supports choice and flexibility for parents and promotes healthy development for children."

Excerpt: "Ontario has filed a regulation to end fees for child care wait lists to improve the accessibility of child care and make life easier for families. The ban will take effect September 1, 2016, and will prevent licensed child care centres and home child care agencies from charging fees or requiring deposits to join child care wait lists. The regulatory amendments also require licensed child care providers to: Develop a public wait list policy that clearly explains how children on a wait list are offered admission; Ensure wait list status is made available to families, in a manner that protects the confidentiality of their personal information."

Excerpt: "Starting on July 1, families with an income of $25,000 or less will be eligible for the maximum subsidy, up from $20,800. About 700 families currently receiving a partial subsidy will be eligible for the maximum. This change will attract about 1,200 new families into the program. Families with an income of more than $25,000 up to $70,000 will be eligible for a partial subsidy."

Excerpt: "The following enhancements will be implemented for eligible child care services: All staff funded through the Inclusion Program will be required to obtain a minimum qualification of Entry Level Certification through the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Newfoundland and Labrador; The staffing grant has been extended to cover the cost of a substitute for a staff member to attend multi-disciplinary planning meetings, professional learning opportunities, or other recommended activities to enhance inclusionary practices; Policies for transitional planning will be developed to support smoother transitions for children as they move from one environment to another including from child care to the school system and out of child care at the age of 13; and The inclusion process will promote increased parental involvement and communication with the child care service provider."

Excerpt: "Families in 30 B.C. communities will soon benefit from 1,818 new licensed child-care spaces, thanks to a nearly $11.3-million investment from the Province through the Child Care Major Capital Funding Program, announced Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux from the BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) Student Association Child Care Centre."

Excerpt: "Government will make child care more affordable for families while improving wages for early childhood educators. "We know that investing in early childhood education now will provide a direct, immediate benefit for Nova Scotia children, which is why we committed $6.6 million to begin implementing this plan," said Karen Casey, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development."

Excerpt: "Expenditures in this budget for the education of our children in the Early Years and K-12 school system will increase by three percent to $243 million in the coming year."

Excerpt: "Ontario is proposing a regulation that would ban licensed child care centres and home child care agencies from charging fees to join a waiting list for child care programs."

Excerpt: "Students participating in early childhood education programs can apply for up to $300 per course, to a maximum of $1,500 per semester. Priority will be given to Aboriginal students, students attending programs with an Aboriginal focus and students working to achieve an infant/toddler educator designation."