Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "The annual report describes the early years and child care system in Ontario. The report includes: an overview of the early years and licensed child care system, including trends over the years; key early years and child care data, including: the number of licensed child care centres and spaces, the number of home child care agencies, EarlyON child and family centre locations and number of visits; indicators under the Canada-Ontario Early Learning and Child Care Agreement; information on children’s developmental health and wellbeing collected using the early development instrument (EDI)."

Excerpt: "Child care and education: $2.1 million increase for the now fully implemented pre-primary program available across the province, for a total of $53.4 million this year; $15 million increase to continue implementing the recommendations from the Commission on Inclusive Education to create a more inclusive education system for all students, bringing the total investment to $60 million; $9.5 million to maintain the enhanced cleaning recommendations from Public Health to support COVID-19 safe schools; $8 million to complete previous initiatives that support the safe reopening of schools and online learning due to COVID-19 during this school year."

Excerpt: "Mr. Speaker, this administration continues to make important investments in our children and we will launch our Universal Pre-K program in September of this year. It will be a community-based, half- day program designed to ensure all children have access to a play-based learning program which will give them a strong introduction to their education journey. This budget commits $2.9 million to introduce and ensure the program is a success."

Excerpt: "Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen, and Northwest Territories’ Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, R.J. Simpson, announced over $2.4 million in federal funding for early learning and child care investments in Northwest Territories for 2020–2021."

Excerpt: "Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen; and Prince Edward Island’s Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning, Natalie Jameson, announced over $3.5 million in federal funding for early learning and child care investments in Prince Edward Island for 2020–2021."

Excerpt: "The agreement allocates approximately $13.6 million in federal funding in 2020–21 for early learning and child care investments in Saskatchewan. Specifically, Saskatchewan will invest in continuing to support access to licensed early learning and child care, creating early learning opportunities for children experiencing disability, supporting Francophone early learning and child care, and training opportunities for educators and staff."

Excerpt: "To support parents with the cost of child care and help them get back into the workforce, the government is proposing a 20 percent enhancement of the CARE tax credit for 2021. This would increase support from $1,250 to $1,500, on average, providing about $75 million in additional support for the child care expenses of over 300,000 families."

Excerpt: "World-class education: $1.7 million to support the development and delivery of distance learning opportunities; $1.2 million to maintain the additional technicians put in place to provide technical support to teachers and students; $1 million to continue support of the Laptop Subsidy Program, helping an estimated 2,000 students access technology for the upcoming year; A wage increase of 75 cents per hour for qualified early childhood educators."

Excerpt: "The minister noted the proposed legislation outlines five basic principles that must be taken into consideration when making decisions under the act including that: early learning and child-care services should ensure the health, safety, development and well-being of children; access to early learning and child-care services should enhance the economic opportunities available to parents; early learning and child-care services should be available on a continuum that is responsive to the diverse needs of families; promoting inclusion and respect, and accommodating diversity should be inherent in early learning and child-care services; and public funding should promote fiscal responsibility and the sustainability of early learning and child-care services."

Excerpt: "To support Yukon families and make their lives more affordable, the Government of Yukon is investing more than $25 million in 2021–22 towards early learning and child care initiatives. This includes approximately $15 million for a new Yukon-wide universal child care program."

Excerpt: "Based on public and sector feedback, the ministry has identified six action areas to improve the child care and early years system. The action areas include immediate commitments, such as consulting on proposed regulatory amendments through the Ontario Regulatory Registry, and longer-term commitments to continue to enhance the system by providing more choice and affordability for children and families, reducing red tape and administrative burden, and improving quality."

Excerpt: "My government’s objective is to increase access to childcare by adding an additional 300 childcare spaces this year. This measure will constitute the first steps toward a universal model with a fixed rate for early childhood centres, with the objective to provide our children a strong and healthy start to their educational path in a consistent, caring, and safe learning environment."