News & Stories: Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "To ensure that all of the conditions for succeeding are in place at the earliest age, we are adding more resources to ensure quality, sustainable childcare services. As my colleague the Minister of Families announced on February 23, childcare and subsidized daycare centres will receive a lump-sum allowance of $60 million in 2015-2016 to facilitate the transition to the new funding model and improve direct services to children."

Excerpt: "In order to enhance support for Québec families, the Québec Economic Plan provides for an additional investment of close to $130 million over six years for family services. $20 million will be allocated to the Ministère de la Famille for 2016-2017 to provide community-based financial assistance, including $10 million, which will be drawn from available budget funds over the year. Funding of $7.4 million will also be granted to the Ministère de la Famille for 2016-2017. These sums will be drawn directly from availabilities during the year. Further more, additional appropriations of $20 million per year for the period from 2017-2018 to 2021-2022 will be granted to the Ministère de la Famille."

Excerpt: "Pour favoriser le développement et la réussite éducative des toutpetits du Québec, une bonification de 40 M$ sera allouée aux services de garde éducatifs à l'enfance."

Excerpt: "Pour assurer la santé et la sécurité des enfants en services de garde, le Gouvernement du Québec lance un appel de projets, pour l'année 2017­-2018, à l'intention des centres de la petite enfance (CPE), dans le cadre de la subvention pour les projets d'investissement en infrastructures (SPII)."

Excerpt: "Dans le but d'offrir un encadrement pédagogique à un plus grand nombre d'enfants dès le plus jeune âge et de bien les accompagner dans leurs premiers pas à l'école, jusqu'à 100 nouvelles classes de maternelle 4 ans à temps plein en milieu défavorisé pourront ouvrir dès la rentrée scolaire 2017."

Excerpt: "Pour assurer le maintien en bon état ainsi que la réhabilitation des établissements scolaires de la région des Laurentides, un investissement de plus de 53 millions de dollars a été annoncé aujourd’hui."

Highlights: "Nearly $160 million to enhance the tax credit for childcare expenses; More than $80 million to support families with children: Improving the offering of childcare services in order to foster family-work-study balance; Providing the Fondation du Dr Julien with stronger support for social pediatrics; Supporting regional and local mobilization for early childhood development."

Excerpt: "The government will give back to families and seniors nearly $1.7 billion over five years. To do so, it is planning on the following: payment of a more generous family allowance for families with two or more children beginning in 2019; freeze on the additional contribution for subsidized childcare as of 2019."

Excerpt: "Universal kindergarten for 4 year- olds will be rolled out taking into account the school system's current resources. The teachers will be supported by an educator or special education technician and a team of professionals. The government plans to add 250 new classes starting in September 2019."

Excerpt: "Kindergarten classes for children from the age of 4 is a non-compulsory service made available to families with the passage of Bill 5 in 2019. It is being phased in gradually in schools across Québec. The Preschool Education Program for 4-Year-Olds is intended to facilitate the global development of all children in that age bracket by offering them challenges adapted to their needs and interests in a context where the focus is on play."

Minister of Finance Eric Girard delivered Budget Speech 2020-2021 on March 10, 2020.

Excerpt: "FINDINGS: There are not enough places available in subsidized childcare to meet the needs of families in Québec. Families that are unable to find subsidized childcare pay more for a service whose quality does not necessarily meet expectations; The children of low-income families are underrepresented in childcare centres (CPE) that are located in the administrative regions of Laval and Montréal; The Place 0-5 single-window access to childcare services does not allow for the efficient management of access to these services. Theinformation presented on the website is not up-to-date and is not sufficient to meet the needs of parents; The oversight of childcare services by the ministère de la Famille is largely insufficient to optimize access to childcare services, in particular for families with a child who has special needs; The ministère de la Famille is not meeting its objectives for the creation of new places in subsidized childcare that were announced several years ago, which prevents it from meeting the needs of families."