С»ÆÊéÊÓƵ

Excerpt: "With more than 8,600 spaces already at $10-a-day, our government has made regulated child care in Newfoundland and Labrador more affordable. Budget 2024 supports our efforts to increase capacity and create 6,000 new child care spaces by 2026 through: $27 million for continued implementation of the early childhood educator wage grid; Over $16 million for projects to increase the number of child care spaces; $2.7 million for bursaries and grants for students to become an early childhood educator; Launch of the Early Learning Gateway this spring, which will connect families seeking child care with service operators who have available space."

Excerpt: "The first measure will increase the minimum enrolment threshold for regulated child care centres participating in the Operating Grant Program. The threshold for those centres to receive full grant funding will increase from 70 per cent enrolment to 90 per cent enrolment. This change will come into effect on April 1, 2024. Regional staff from the Department of Education will work with all child care centers to maximize capacity and minimize operational impact. Rural and remote services will not be financially impacted by the increase in enrolment threshold."

Excerpt: "The Accord aims to create better outcomes for students and learners while also supporting the Provincial Government’s goal of becoming one of Canada’s healthiest provinces by 2031. Education Accord NL will focus on four pillars: Early learning and childhood development; Education engagement and transformation; Health and well-being in education environments; and, Post-secondary education and learning across the life span. The Accord will be developed in consultation with stakeholders and will incorporate research garnered through the extensive engagement and consultation process of Health Accord NL. Education Accord NL will focus on delivering a 10-Year Education Accord with short, medium, and long-term goals for an education system that better meets the needs of students and learners in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Accord will be delivered to government by December 31, 2024."

Excerpt: "The analyses and recommendations laid out in this report set forward ongoing improvements to the Operating Grant Program, and serve to support the initiatives currently underway and/or planned to further improve the child care sector in Newfoundland & Labrador. The Department of Education’s Early Learning and Child Development Division has several initiatives in-flight to improve the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) landscape and have identified a keen willingness to invest considerable time and effort to improve the Operating Grant Program and implement these recommendations."

Excerpt: "The Provincial Government has released a report outlining a review of the Operating Grant Program for child care services in Newfoundland and Labrador. The report includes six opportunity areas for improving the Operating Grant Program, including: Governance; Funding and rates; Program policies, processes and requirements; Accountability; Workforce; and System enablers."

Excerpt: "Early childhood educators are vital to support the growth and development of children within the province. The Department of Education remains engaged with early childhood educators through regular virtual town hall meetings. The Provincial Government continues to invest heavily in domestic recruitment and retention initiatives, including: Additional funding to post-secondary institutions to ensure early childhood education programs are more accessible and to increase the number of graduates; A needs-based grant to provide eligible students in approved program with non-repayable grants of up to $10,000; Creation of a bursary and wage grid bonus specific to Francophone early childhood educators; The Early Childhood Educator Recruitment and Retention Grant. to provide eligible early childhood educators with $2,500 upon initial certification and renewal of Level 1-4 certification, up to a maximum of $7,500; Implementation of a wage grid for early childhood educators in April 2023 to recognize the valuable contribution they make in supporting the children of the province."

Excerpt: "Three sites are under development and will be operational in St. John’s, Bonavista, and Corner Brook. These sites will create approximately 160 child care spaces and will be developed over the next six months. All sites will be operated by YMCA, and will consider hours of operation to ensure the child care services meet the needs of health professionals."

Excerpt: "The initiatives include an increase in funding availability and supports for the sector offered through the Child Care Capacity Initiative program, including: $7.5 million in funding to support infrastructure and renovations to regulated child care services availing of the operating grant program, to increase child care capacity by 750 spaces, with priority for the creation of toddler spaces in not-for-profit child care services; the hiring of a Project Manager within the Provincial Government to oversee and support not-for-profit child care capacity projects; and an increase to the personnel budget category of projects operating under the Child Care Capacity Initiative program, which includes an hourly wage increase from $17 per hour to $25 per hour for developmental workers."

Excerpt: "The Early Childhood Educator Recruitment and Retention Grant will provide funding to recruit and retain Level I to IV early childhood educators to become certified and work in regulated child care services. This grant replaces the former Early Childhood Educator Graduate Bursary Program, which will end on June 30, 2024. Effective September 1, 2023, early childhood educators who meet the eligibility criteria under the grant program will be eligible to receive $2,500 upon initial child care services certification. Further grants of $2,500 up to a total of $7,500 will be awarded following each three-year renewal of Level I to IV child care services certification. The grant includes a commitment for recipients to work in regulated child care services in Newfoundland and Labrador."

Excerpt: "As part of this update, Minister Howell shared new details regarding child care access in the province: There are almost 8,300 child care spaces operating at $10-a-day or lower the province, of which 820 have been created so far in 2023; Eighteen pre-kindergarten sites are now open throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, creating 340 child care spaces. A further 17 sites will open in September, representing total space creation of 600 through this program; In addition to spaces and sites already created, there are 63 child care providers in various stages of the process to open a not-for-profit child care centre in Newfoundland and Labrador, including: 14 sites in development in Central/East region; 24 sites in development in Western/Labrador region; and 25 sites in development in St. John’s metro region; This year, over 100 early childhood educators have joined or rejoined the workforce. There are approximately 1,200 early childhood educators working in Newfoundland and Labrador; In addition to the recently created early childhood educator wage grid, a francophone bonus of $5,178 has been created, effective April 1, 2023, for certified francophone early childhood educators working in regulated francophone child care services."

Budget 2012 includes new funds for child care for 2012-13, "doubling its investment by 2021-22 to approximately $56 million per year under a new 10-Year Child Care Strategy."

Access to child care and early learning emphasized in Throne Speech.