News & Stories: Policy Monitor

The province announced funds to relocate and expand a child care centre in Vita. The funding is part of the government's Family Choices, the province’s five-year early learning and child-care initiative.

Excerpt: "The Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Program oversees child care (often called daycare) services provided by licensed child care centres and family home providers. It is administered by the Department of Family Services and Labour. We examined the Department’s management of the Program, including its systems and practices for planning and performance measurement, ensuring compliance with child care standards, and providing financial support to eligible child care facilities and families."

The Winter 2012 edition of the EDI Teacher Newsletter is released.

The province announces an "investment of more than $1 million in the Steinbach and La Broquerie areas’ child-care centres helped create 158 new spaces for local families" in the form of "a new child-care centre and the expansion of two others".

The 2011/12 Annual Report of the Healthy Child Manitoba Office is released.

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy releases the second edition of How are Manitoba’s Children Doing? which examines how the province's children are doing in four areas: 1) physical health and emotional health; 2) safety and security; 3) successful learning; 4) social engagement.

The government announces a commitment to fund 20 new preschool and 45 new school-age child care spaces.

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy has released a new report on the Early Development Instrument results in Manitoba. The report focusses on: socioeconomic adversity and children’s vulnerability at age five; biological vulnerability at birth and children’s vulnerability at age five; and children’s vulnerability at age five in three at–risk subgroups of children.

The Government of Manitoba announces "new funding to child-care centres for 900 spaces, new capital and operational funding for child-care centres and homes, and improved subsidies for those most in need, Family Services and Labour Minister Jennifer Howard announced today…. Now in its fourth year, Family Choices, Manitoba’s five-year early learning and child-care initiative, is providing new funding for 6,500 quality child-care spaces by the end of 2013."

The Abecedarian model of early learning and child care has been introduced in the Lord Selkirk Park housing development. The model "will include a curriculum that promotes literacy and language development, in addition to a family resource centre."

Healthy Child Manitoba Office has released its 2010/11 Annual Report. "This report reflects the continued commitment of government and community partners in the Healthy Child Manitoba Strategy to facilitate child-centered public policy..."

Manitoba Child Care Program launches Early Returns: Manitoba’s Early Learning and Child Care Curriculum Framework for Preschool Centres and Nursery Schools. This curriculum framework supports staff to develop, describe and enhance their curriculum.