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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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Manitoba
Excerpt: "Transformational investments in child care, education and advanced education are critical to preparing young Manitobans for their future. To address the need for affordable and accessible high-quality early childhood education, especially in rural communities, we are investing up to $70 million to fund up to 17 new facilities to create more than 1,200 new spaces. To strengthen the sector and encourage more individuals to pursue a career in early childhood education, an increase to operating grants is planned for early in the new year to support increased wages. As the workforce grows, more investments will be made to add more spaces."

Alberta
Excerpt: "Alberta has already reduced average child care fees for regulated spaces that are part of the Canada-wide early learning and child care system, and is working towards creating 42,500 new child care spaces among regulated not-for-profit, public and family-based child care providers by the end of March 2026. Alberta is also supporting the valuable work of the early childhood educator workforce, who are at the heart of the Canada-wide early learning and child care system, by providing them with higher wages as well as new training and development opportunities."

Ontario
Description: "This report analyzes the Ministry of Education’s spending plan as set out in the 2022 Ontario Budget and the 2022-23 Expenditure Estimates. The report discusses the FAO’s spending projection by program area and identifies key assumptions, issues and risks. The final chapter of the report compares planned spending for the 2022-23 fiscal year against actual spending in 2021-22."

Ontario
Excerpt: "To expand child care, Ontario is partnering with the federal government to create 86,000 new, high‐quality, affordable child care spaces by 2026. Of this total, Ontario has already created more than 15,000 new spaces, including over 1,500 new licensed child care spaces in schools."

Manitoba
Excerpt: "The governments of Canada and Manitoba are allocating up to $70 million in capital funding for new child-care facilities, creating more than 1,200 new, regulated non-profit child-care spaces across the province with a focus on rural and First Nations communities, Premier Heather Stefanson, Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko and federal parliamentary secretary Ya’ara Saks, on behalf of federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould, announced today."

Manitoba
Excerpt: "The Manitoba government is establishing the Manitoba Education Council to take a provincewide approach to planning, implementing and monitoring Manitoba’s K to 12 Education Action Plan and is issuing a call for applications from members of the public wishing to join in this work, Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko announced today."

Prince Edward Island
Excerpt: "Licensed family home centres can receive financial support to reduce parent fees, fund wages and professional development opportunities, and purchase materials, equipment, or supplies. Current unlicensed home child care providers can also receive funding to help cover costs associated with seeking licensing from the province."

Canada
Excerpt: "Canada-wide early learning and child care transfer payments are expected to increase from $4.5 billion in 2022-23 to $7.7 billion in 2027-28, and include funding of $625 million over four years, beginning in 2023-24, to Employment and Social Development Canada for an Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund."

Saskatchewan
Excerpt: "There are now several hundred more educational assistants in schools throughout the province, providing important in-class support for thousands of Saskatchewan students. Approximately 200 of these positions are provided by the Government of Saskatchewan's $7 million in targeted funding for school divisions to increase the number of educational assistants for the 2022-23 school year. "Educational assistants are valued support staff that provide significant contributions to student learning," Education Minister Dustin Duncan said. "Our government will continue to ensure school divisions have the funding they need to support students, staff and their school communities.""

New Brunswick
Excerpt: "The Wage Support Program for Early Childhood Educators (WSP-ECE) is a wage enhancement program administered by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) to support Operators of Early Learning and Childcare facilities with the recruitment and retention of trained educators. The WSP-ECE aims to: Recognize Early Learning and Childcare as a profession; Encourage educators to participate in higher level training; Provide funding to increase the wages of qualified educators and reduce staff turnover."

Northwest Territories
Excerpt: "The Annual Report provides an opportunity for residents of the Northwest Territories (NWT) to see the type of support and services delivered through Child and Family Services (CFS) and understand why they are offered. The report identifies trends, including how the Child and Family Services system can improve and where there has been a positive impact on the people served."

Nova Scotia
Excerpt: "Now more than ever, Nova Scotians need a child-care system that delivers. Children deserve care that gives them the best start in life. Parents deserve care that is affordable regardless of financial means and available where they live and when they work. Nova Scotia deserves childcare that supports our workplaces and our economy. Early childhood educators (ECEs) and operators who nurture and care for our children deserve sustainable funding and support. To meet these needs, our government is transforming child care in Nova Scotia: For families: We have reduced fees to make life more affordable, with a 25 per cent reduction already in place and a further reduction on its way. By the end of this year, families will pay 50 per cent less on average than they did at the start of the year. For communities: We have announced and delivered on the opening of spaces across the province, with 1,500 new child-care spaces coming this winter and new spaces already open in communities like Oxford, Hubbards, Windsor, Lower Sackville, and Lower Onslow, Colchester County."