Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "Cellphones and mobile device restrictions in schools: Every school will have uniform policy to have cellphones on silent and removed from sight at the beginning of instructional time – the new default unless explicitly directed by the educator; If students do not comply, cellphones are immediately surrendered where there is no explicit allowance from the educator; For students in kindergarten to Grade 6, there will be a cellphone restriction for the entire school day, but they may be used with permission from the educator; A strengthened personal mobile devices policy with clear responsibilities broken down amongst staff and a requirement for best practices to be developed and shared with staff; Social media sites will be banned on all school networks and devices; Requirement that educators and staff model behaviour and not use personal mobile devices during class for non-work related reasons; New ban on sharing and recording videos or photos of individuals without explicit consent; $500,000 for digital literacy supports for students during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years."

Excerpt: "New Brunswick has ranked first in a report on early childhood education released by the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. “Our province is committed to providing quality early learning and child-care services to New Brunswick families, and the results of this report show how far we have come,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Bill Hogan. “Those who work in the early learning sector are shaping the adults of tomorrow, and they are supporting families who are at work and studying. They work incredibly hard every day and we deeply appreciate the work they do in laying the foundation for our youngest learners.”"

Excerpt: "Manitoba will shift the focus on affordable and accessible child care spaces developed under the Bilateral Agreement in previous years over to the Canada-wide ELCC Agreement as part of the long-term vision for affordable and accessible child care in Manitoba. This shift in operating funding for affordable and accessible child care spaces previously developed under the Bilateral Agreement to the Canada-wide ELCC Agreement allows for greater stability and long-term sustainability of developing affordable, accessible, flexible child care options. By offsetting costs from the smaller Bilateral Agreement to the long-term vision of the Canada-wide ELCC Agreement, there is freedom to develop new initiatives and models, and to be more responsive to the ideas and requests from the ELCC sector, key stakeholders and sector advocates, including members of the Minister’s Consultation Table."

Excerpt: "A community hub with child-care facilities is being integrated into the design of the new kindergarten-to-Grade 5 school in the north end of Saint John. “Schools no longer serve strictly as places of learning, but often become the heart of the community,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Bill Hogan. “A hub of this kind will not only provide a space for children to continue developing their skills outside of school hours, but will have a positive impact on the community it serves for years to come.” The community hub is a pilot project that will include a dedicated, licensed early learning hub for children up to four years old, as well as spaces for school-aged children, a multi-purpose room and a community office."

Excerpt: "The Manitoba Prenatal Benefit is a monthly financial benefit to help low-income Manitobans meet their needs during pregnancy. This historic increase will make Manitoba’s benefit the highest in Canada. The current maximum benefit is $81.41 per month, payable from the 14th week of pregnancy until the child is born. Budget 2024 includes an additional $800,000 to double the maximum monthly benefit to $162.82, ensuring the prenatal benefit has a real impact in making life more affordable for expectant parents, noted the minister."

Excerpt: "There are currently 2,206 early learning and child care spaces in various stages of development throughout the province, with timelines for operation ranging from one to 24 months. Close to 750 spaces currently in development have received funding through the Child Care Capacity Initiative announced this past fall. A regional breakdown of spaces in development is as follows, with a full list of current capacity projects outlined in the backgrounder: Metro St. John’s: 1,191; Central: 465; Western: 465; Labrador: 85."

Excerpt: "The Manitoba Prenatal Benefit is a monthly financial benefit to help low-income Manitobans meet their needs during pregnancy. This historic increase will make Manitoba’s benefit the highest in Canada. The current maximum benefit is $81.41 per month, payable from the 14th week of pregnancy until the child is born. Budget 2024 includes an additional $800,000 to double the maximum monthly benefit to $162.82, ensuring the prenatal benefit has a real impact in making life more affordable for expectant parents, noted the minister."

Excerpt: "Key Ongoing Actions: Providing over $25 billion in support to about 3.5 million families with children annually through the tax-free Canada Child Benefit, with eligible families receiving up to $7,787 per child in 2024-25; Building a Canada-wide system of early learning and child care, which is delivering $10-a-day child care in eight provinces and territories, with all other provinces already cutting fees by 50 per cent and remaining on track to deliver $10-a-day child care by March 2026, significantly ahead of schedule; Launching the Canada Dental Benefit to provide eligible parents or guardians with direct, up-front, tax-free payments of up to $1,300 over two years to cover the cost of dental care for their children under 12 years old."

Excerpt: "The EYC Expansion Capital Grant provides financial assistance to create new licensed early learning and child care spaces, particularly for infant and/or toddler-aged children within new and existing facilities. This grant offers a maximum of $200,000 to facilitate new construction, renovations, and/or equipment purchases to help meet the urgent need for expanded spaces. The EYC Architectural Fee Reimbursement Grant offers funding for architectural fees to create new licensed early learning and child care spaces. This grant aims to alleviate financial barriers that hinder centres from expanding by reimbursing 80 per cent of the project's architecture fees to a maximum of $80,000."

Excerpt: "The Manitoba government has invested over $375,000 in capacity and programming improvement grants to support high-quality affordable child-care services in 34 facilities across the province, Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Nello Altomare announced today."

Excerpt: "Island students are learning while outdoors and having fun at the same time thanks to more than 100 projects funded through new grants from the Department of Education and Early Years. The Outdoor Learning Grants are funding all sorts of outdoor activities, including day trips, conservation projects, outdoor classrooms and play spaces, weather stations, school gardens and more. The goal is to help kids learn important skills while providing meaningful outdoor learning opportunities that transcend traditional classroom settings. "We want every student to have the chance to explore nature and learn outside. With these grants, we want to help empower schools and teachers to create impactful outdoor learning experiences that inspire curiosity, foster environmental stewardship, and promote personal growth.""

Excerpt: "“Child care is expensive enough without fees adding up before families have secured child care,” said Mitzi Dean, Minister of State for Child Care. “Eliminating waitlist fees will mean that families no longer face having to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars simply to find a child care space. We’re supporting families with the cost of child care, and now that starts when families are looking for a spot.” Approximately 5% of providers, mostly in metropolitan areas, were charging families a fee to put their name on a waitlist. Because most families looking for child care reach out to a number of providers, this was a significant cost. Waitlist fees, most of which are non-refundable, ranged from $25 to $200 or more."