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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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Ontario
Excerpt: "Ministers Lecce and Rickford outlined Ontario’s education plan to strengthen Indigenous learning through a meaningful co-development process with Indigenous partners, Elders and Knowledge Holders, including: Mandatory Indigenous-focused learning added to the Social Studies, Grades 1-3 curriculum, including exploring opportunities for new learning on: The role of family and resilience in First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and nations; First Nations, Métis and Inuit historical and contemporary realities; Indigenous peoples’ interrelationship and connection with the land; The residential school system and the reclamation and revitalization of identity, language, culture and community connections."

Alberta
Excerpt: "This document is a reference guide for the official grant agreement between licensed child care programs in Alberta and the Alberta government. This document outlines the process, eligibility, conditions and accountability requirements for eligible licensed facility-based programs and licensed family day home agencies to access grant funding from the Alberta government for wage top-ups and professional development."

New Brunswick
Excerpt: "There is a strong desire for professional recognition to advance their profession. To that end, educators overwhelmingly reaffirmed the importance of a robust profession by having a regulated professional association to promote their profession, to be the voice with government and to regulate the standards of practice. Early Childhood Educators also recommended using the process of certification and pay equity to determine a wage scale."

Yukon
Excerpt: "Early Kindergarten in-school programming is for children who are 4 years old on or before December 31 of the school year. It provides a literacy rich, play-based learning environment which encourages children to learn through authentic experiences and enhances a child's emotional, social and cognitive development. Early Kindergarten programs can support and enrich children’s early learning experiences through building strong relationships, nurturing well-being and belonging, promoting communication and literacies, and helping children to build a positive personal and cultural identity."

New Brunswick
Excerpt: "Under the 2021–2022 to 2024–2025 Canada–New Brunswick Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, New Brunswick will continue to collaborate with the childcare sector and maintain the New Brunswick Early Learning facility designation to ensure all families and children in the province have access to high-quality, affordable child care in the official language of their choice. The agreement focuses on strengthening the early childhood workforce, particularly around inclusive practices through training and mentorship, while addressing recruitment and retention challenges. Actions include implementing a marketing campaign to promote the profession and establishing a process for the recognition of early childhood education credentials obtained outside of Canada."

Prince Edward Island
Excerpt: "Through the agreement, the Government of Canada is providing over $16 million in funding over four years to Prince Edward Island to improve access to high quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services. Under the 2021–2022 to 2024–2025 Canada–Prince Edward Island Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, Prince Edward Island will allocate funding to increase access to affordable, inclusive and high-quality early learning and child care spaces, including for those with parents who work non-standard hours, for children of all abilities or needing individual or enhanced supports, and to invest in training to support early childhood educators."

British Columbia
Excerpt: "Through the agreement, the Government of Canada is providing over $272 million in funding over four years to British Columbia to improve access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services. In addition, the Government of Canada is making a one-time investment of $48.8 million in 2021–2022 to support British Columbia’s early childhood educator recruitment and retention efforts."

Yukon
Excerpt: "Under the 2021–2022 to 2024–2025 Canada–Yukon Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, Yukon will allocate funding to further build universal access to early learning and child care for all Yukon families, including increasing the current subsidy system and increasing training and certification opportunities for child care providers. The current Yukon Early Learning and Child Care Funding Program reduces parent fees by up to $700 per child per month for full-time participation in licenced child care programs, and provides a minimum wage of nearly $30 an hour to fully qualified educators.

This four-year agreement builds on the commitments made in the Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework and ensures that funding continues to be available to support child care programs and services for Yukon families until March 2025."

Northwest Territories
Excerpt: "Under the 2021–22 to 2024–25 Canada–Northwest Territories Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the Northwest Territories will invest in: improving access to post-secondary education programs and professional development for early childhood educators; distributing cultural education resources; ensuring health and safety in child care centres; offsetting the cost of equipment supporting quality play-based environments; and increasing the number of child care spaces. This four-year agreement builds on the commitments made in the Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework and ensures that funding continues to be available to support licensed early learning and child care programs and services for families in the Northwest Territories until March 2025."

Nunavut
Excerpt: "Through the agreement, the Government of Canada is providing over $10 million in funding over four years to Nunavut to improve access to high quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services. In addition, the Government of Canada is making a one-time investment of over $2.8 million in 2021-2022 to support Nunavut’s early childhood educator recruitment and retention efforts. Under the 2021–2022 to 2024–2025 Canada–Nunavut Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, Nunavut will allocate funding to continue supporting and maintaining access to affordable early learning and child care programs by supporting the healthy development of children, creating more spaces in underserved communities, investing in training and professional development opportunities for early childhood educator and developing culturally appropriate educational programming resources."

Saskatchewan
Excerpt: "In addition to significantly reducing the cost of child care, federal funding of close to $1.1 billion over the next five years will lead to the creation of 28,000 new regulated early learning and child care spaces to help ensure Saskatchewan families with children under six years old can access child care spaces that meet their needs. Federal funding will support the expansion of these new child care spaces in not-for-profit child care centres, small child care facilities and home-based child care."

Manitoba
Excerpt: "The federal funding of more than $1.2 billion over the next five years will also fund critical services for Manitoba families and children and grow a strong and skilled workforce of early childhood educators, including through the creation of a wage grid to support the attraction and retentions of early childhood educators. This agreement will also lead to the creation of 1,700 extended hour child care spaces for families requiring child care in the evening and on weekends as well as guaranteed child care spaces for children whose parents are transitioning into regular employment. The agreement will also support an early learning and child care system that is fully inclusive of children with disabilities and children needing enhanced or individual supports, and ensure all families have equitable access to high-quality, affordable programming."