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July 29, 2024

Enhancing food safety in child-care settings

Excerpt: "Last fall, several licensed child-care facilities in Calgary faced a devastating E. coli outbreak, the largest in the province’s history. In response, Alberta’s government established the Food Safety and Licensed Facility-Based Child Care Review Panel (review) to conduct a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the event and recommend ways to prevent this from happening again. The panel's seven-month review resulted in a final report that includes 12 primary recommendations and 27 sub-recommendations. The recommendations centre around three main themes: fostering a culture of food safety that supports high-quality, safe and healthy learning environments for children; public policy, legislation and inspection systems for food safety; system alignment and integration."
OISE building exterior
July 19, 2024

Canada Child Benefit increases again to keep up with the cost of living

Excerpt: "For the 2024–25 benefit year, families can receive up to $7,787 per child under the age of 6 and $6,570 per child aged 6 through 17. This means moms and dads could receive up to $350 more than last year. This represents an increase of 4.7% from the previous year. The Canada Child Benefit has been indexed to inflation using Consumer Price Index data as reported by Statistics Canada—a widely used measure of inflation. Indexing the Canada Child Benefit occurs every July, ensuring that the benefit protects families from inflation and provides certainty and predictability of support parents can count on."
OISE building exterior
July 8, 2024

Inclusivity, transparency improved for child care

Excerpt: "New annual reporting requirements will provide the public with additional insight into how much government funding is being invested in child care in B.C., as well as the outcomes achieved from this funding. Also starting Sept. 1, 2024, enhanced affordable child care benefit supports will be available to families when their child care is arranged or recommended by an Indigenous authority under Indigenous law. This means families will receive the same support with their child care costs, regardless of whether their child care is arranged or recommended by the Ministry of Children and Family Development, Indigenous Child and Family Service Agencies, or under Indigenous law. Families, child care providers and early childhood educators will continue to receive the same level of support from the current fee reductions, operational funding and wage-enhancement programs through the Early Learning and Child Care Act."
OISE building exterior
July 8, 2024

Joint News Release: GNWT and NWTECA agree on terms of reference to support partnership

Excerpt: "The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and the Northwest Territories Early Childhood Association (NWTECA) have agreed on terms of reference to guide their partnership to establish an early learning and child care system that provides quality programs and supports licensed family day homes and centre-based programs. The GNWT and the NWTECA hold regular meetings to discuss important matters affecting the sector. The goal of this agreement is to foster transparency between the GNWT, the NWTECA’s board, and its members to ensure that licensed program operators and early childhood educators fully understand changes to the sector and how they will be impacted."