Excerpt: "As of April 1st, the average cost of licensed child care for children five years of age and younger was reduced, on average, by 60 per cent. This means that families in the NWT are now saving up to $545 a month per child in child care fees. Families can expect to see further cost reductions until we reach our goal of an average of $10 per day child care."
Excerpt: " With an estimated investment of $1,563,000 over the next two years, these grants will help to promote licensing, and improve the quality, affordability and accessibility of licensed home-based child care across the Province. Funding for these grants is provided through the Canada–Prince Edward Island Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement."
Excerpt: "Nunavut's Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Wage Scale Program recommends a minimum wage that should be provided to ELCC staff. To promote the scale's implementation and the recruitment and retention of dedicated ELCC staff, this new program accepts applications from licensed child care centres for contribution funding to top up their staff compensation to levels outlined in the scale. This initiative provides contribution funding to licensed child care centres serving children aged 0-6.The goal is to ensure that ELCC staff receive equitable compensation for their crucial role in promoting the growth and well-being of all children. The ELCC Wage Scale outlines distinct wage levels across four categories: Management; Early childhood educator; Program support; Centre support."
Excerpt: "The initiatives include an increase in funding availability and supports for the sector offered through the Child Care Capacity Initiative program, including: $7.5 million in funding to support infrastructure and renovations to regulated child care services availing of the operating grant program, to increase child care capacity by 750 spaces, with priority for the creation of toddler spaces in not-for-profit child care services; the hiring of a Project Manager within the Provincial Government to oversee and support not-for-profit child care capacity projects; and an increase to the personnel budget category of projects operating under the Child Care Capacity Initiative program, which includes an hourly wage increase from $17 per hour to $25 per hour for developmental workers."
Excerpt: "It is estimated that more than 90 per cent of ECEs currently working in the sector, or 2,500 individuals, will see an increase in wages. ECE Level I will receive an increase of up to $1.50 per hour; ECE Level II will receive an increase of up to $2.00 per hour, and ECE Level III will receive up to $2.50 an hour. Compared to September 2022, this is approximately an eight per cent increase, on average, in the hourly wages for ECEs in the province. The ECE Wage Enhancement grant is also being expanded to include assistants working in group family child care homes who have an ECE certification. Certified assistants will be eligible to receive an ECE Wage Enhancement grant of up to $7.50 per hour, bringing them in line with the wage increases provided to ECEs working in child care centres in 2021-22 and 2022-23."
Excerpt: "The Department of Education has launched full-day kindergarten in five Nunavut schools. The schools participating are: Nanook School, Apex; Qaqqalik School, Kimmirut; Victor Sammurtok School, Chesterfield Inlet; Inuglak School, Whale Cove; Jimmy Hikok Ilihakvik, Kugluktuk. The 2023-2024 Full-Day Kindergarten Pilot is the first step to help guide a phased system-wide rollout."
Excerpt: "The Early Childhood Educator Recruitment and Retention Grant will provide funding to recruit and retain Level I to IV early childhood educators to become certified and work in regulated child care services. This grant replaces the former Early Childhood Educator Graduate Bursary Program, which will end on June 30, 2024. Effective September 1, 2023, early childhood educators who meet the eligibility criteria under the grant program will be eligible to receive $2,500 upon initial child care services certification. Further grants of $2,500 up to a total of $7,500 will be awarded following each three-year renewal of Level I to IV child care services certification. The grant includes a commitment for recipients to work in regulated child care services in Newfoundland and Labrador."
Excerpt: "Starting Sept. 1, 2023, families with children in eligible half-day preschool and before- and after-school programs will save as much as an additional $145 per child, per month. The Province is providing the funding directly to participating child care centres so families do not need to apply to receive the savings."
Excerpt: "The Yukon has enjoyed economic growth every year since 2016, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the territory continues to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. However, many Yukoners are feeling financial pressures due to inflation."
Excerpt: "Studies show that every dollar invested in early childhood education generates between $1.50 and nearly $3.00 in activity for the broader economy. Nearly 950,000 more Canadians are employed today than were before the pandemic. That includes a record 85.7 per cent labour force participation rate in July for Canadian women in their prime working years — and that is supported by our early learning and child care system, now nation wide. This level – 85.7 per cent – is a record high for Canada and it compares to just 77.5 per cent in the U.S."
Excerpt: "Early childhood professionals who completed training outside Canada or francophone Canadians who have documents in French can apply for a grant of as much as $2,500 at the same time as they apply for early childhood educator (ECE) certification with the B.C. ECE Registry. These grants can be used to have non-English documents, such as school transcripts and course descriptions, translated into English by MOSAIC B.C."
Excerpt: "As part of this update, Minister Howell shared new details regarding child care access in the province: There are almost 8,300 child care spaces operating at $10-a-day or lower the province, of which 820 have been created so far in 2023; Eighteen pre-kindergarten sites are now open throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, creating 340 child care spaces. A further 17 sites will open in September, representing total space creation of 600 through this program; In addition to spaces and sites already created, there are 63 child care providers in various stages of the process to open a not-for-profit child care centre in Newfoundland and Labrador, including: 14 sites in development in Central/East region; 24 sites in development in Western/Labrador region; and 25 sites in development in St. John’s metro region; This year, over 100 early childhood educators have joined or rejoined the workforce. There are approximately 1,200 early childhood educators working in Newfoundland and Labrador; In addition to the recently created early childhood educator wage grid, a francophone bonus of $5,178 has been created, effective April 1, 2023, for certified francophone early childhood educators working in regulated francophone child care services."
