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Policy Monitor

The Policy Monitor tracks Federal, Provincial and Territorial early childhood policy initiatives, developments and announcements.

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New Brunswick
Excerpt: "Operating grants will be increased and aligned for both designated early learning child-care centres and homes. Grants will increase to $15 a day per occupied infant space. This is meant to improve availability for these spaces after families and stakeholders identified finding infant care as a significant obstacle to workforce participation, particularly for women. Grants for preschool spaces will increase to $3 a day per occupied space. Additionally, effective April 1, the market fee threshold – which guides operators in setting daily fees – will increase by eight per cent to reflect the 2022 consumer price index. Operators receive funding from the government to offset the low-fee policy for families. Out-of-pocket fees paid by families, which were reduced by an average of 50 per cent in June 2022, will not be affected by this increase."

Saskatchewan
Excerpt: "The Governments of Saskatchewan and Canada are pleased to announce that parent fees for regulated child care in the province will be reduced to $10 a day starting April 1, 2023. Saskatchewan is one of the first Canadian provinces to achieve this milestone, which is three years ahead of schedule as outlined in the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement to bring down child care fees to $10 day by 2025-26. "The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to investing in affordable, inclusive and high-quality child care that provides children with a positive start in life while also giving parents the flexibility and choice to build both a family and career," Education Minister Dustin Duncan said. Parents whose children are under the age of six and attend regulated child care on a full-time basis can expect to pay $217.50 per month. The fee reductions will result in families saving an average of $395 to $573 per month for each child under six from the average comparable fees as of March 31, 2021."

Manitoba
Excerpt: "As part of the Manitoba government’s ongoing efforts to be a national leader in affordable and accessible child care, Premier Heather Stefanson and Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko announced today Manitoba has reached a historic milestone in which Manitoba families will pay a maximum of $10 a day for children 12 years and under for regular hours of care, beginning April 2."

Yukon
Excerpt: "Since 2019 the Department of Education has launched a number of initiatives to address the gaps in Yukon’s education system and to improve student outcomes. These include: Launching the Universal Child Care model; Launching enhanced early kindergarten and full day kindergarten in most rural communities; Working with the Chiefs Committee on Education to establish the First Nation School Board; Finalizing a Collaboration Framework with Yukon First Nations; Completing the Review of Inclusive and Special Education; Advancing the Reimagining Inclusive and Special Education (RISE) work plan, which was developed with partners; Launching the Ready-to-Learn Schools initiative; Creating a data sharing agreement with Yukon First Nations and releasing publicly available student data reports; Initiating work and engagement on a Student Outcomes Strategy, which will look at root causes of poor student outcomes, develop targets and evaluate progress on closing gaps."

Alberta
Excerpt: "The government is also investing $59.3 million in 2023-24 to create thousands more licensed child-care spaces as part of opening a total of 68,700 new spaces by the end of March 2023, increasing access and choice so parents can go to school, work and participate in the economy. Affordability grants to child-care operators and subsidies for parents will further lower the cost of child care, with the Alberta federal-provincial child-care agreement already reducing fees by an average of 50 per cent in 2022 for young children."

British Columbia
Excerpt: "Approximately 75% of families with children are eligible for the BC Family Benefit. Starting in July 2023, these families will see a 10% increase in their monthly payments. Single parents will receive as much as an additional $500 per year on top of the 10% increase, also to be delivered in July."

Nunavut
Excerpt: "2023-24 will be the third year of a three-year commitment to improve the student-educator ratio in our schools. This budget provides the Department of Education $3.7 million to continue the next phase of hiring new educators, student support assistants, school community counsellors, and other education support workers to help parents and families prepare the next generation of Nunavummiut to succeed."

Manitoba
Excerpt: "The governments of Canada and Manitoba are providing $45.9 million in one-time funding under the Canada-Manitoba Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child-Care Agreement to support the implementation of quality enhancement grants to fund programming for children under the age of seven. The Manitoba government is contributing an additional $14 million to ensure equitable support is available for school-aged programming within the sector that serves children ages seven to 12. “Our government is committed to making quality child-care more accessible for Manitoba families,” said Ewasko. “These grants will help early learning and child-care providers make immediate investments into facilities and staff to support high-quality learning for children across the province and a stronger, more responsive early learning and child-care system for Manitoba families.”"

Nova Scotia
Excerpt: "The Province is investing more in the child-care system that thousands of Nova Scotia families rely on to care for their young children. Child-care operators will receive more funding for infant spaces, rising operational costs and staff wages under new annual agreements with the Province. “It’s important that young children have the best start, and Nova Scotia’s child-care operators are doing their best to provide quality care while also facing rising operating costs,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Becky Druhan. “This agreement increases funding for the year and follows the recent three per cent wage boost for early childhood educators as part of our promise made last fall for regular public sector wage increases.”"

Manitoba
Excerpt: "Manitoba families in rural and First Nations communities will be better able to access affordable child care following a $94-million total investment from the governments of Canada and Manitoba in the two phases of the ready-to-move child-care project to create a total of 1,670 new child-care spaces, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould and Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko announced today. “The Government of Canada is proud to announce these additional child-care spaces for rural and First Nations communities,” said Gould. “The ready-to-move pilot project is another example how the Canada-wide system leverages innovation and collaboration between federal, provincial, municipal, and First Nations communities to ensure that every family, no matter where they live, has access to high-quality and affordable child care.”"

Northwest Territories
Excerpt: "We have implemented the first steps toward more affordable licensed early learning and childcare programming in the territory, with the goal of reducing families’ childcare costs to an average of $10 a day by 2026. This initiative is supported through federal funding and with proposed funding of $10.3 million in 2023-24 we are aiming to increase access to high-quality, inclusive, affordable, early learning and childcare spaces. The new investment will make childcare fees more affordable for families while providing early childhood educators with increased professional learning and post-secondary opportunities."

Northwest Territories
Excerpt: "Effective April 1, families with children attending licensed early learning and child care programs will receive an increase in their Child Care Fee Reduction subsidy from the department of Education, Culture and Employment, which will reduce their total child care fees. Previously, through the Canada-wide Canada-NWT Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (Canada-wide ELCC Agreement) the GNWT was paying an average of 50 per cent of child care fees, which will now increase to an average of 60 per cent. Also, licensed programs will be able to increase their fees by two to six per cent, depending on the total fee rates being charged by that program for infant and preschool spaces, and by a flat rate of $10 per month for out-of-school."