History Timeline Our Story

The MCCA was established on May 11, 1974 at a meeting of day care parents, staff, and interested people who were all concerned with the effects of the Federal Provincial day care subsidy program on the quality of child care in Manitoba. This first meeting authorized a steering committee of 11 people - 6 parents and 5 staff to: 

1. Communicate the general dissatisfaction of the members of the association to both Federal and Provincial Governments.
2. To organize a meeting for early in June to elect an executive.
3. To draft a brief to the Honourable Saul Miller, Minister of Health and Social Development, outlining our objections to the program in detail.

Growing Pains

• From 1974 until 1978, the MCCA grew slowly, relying on the efforts of a few volunteers to respond to government policy, plan and provide workshops and conferences, and publish a newsletter.  
• In 1976, driven by growing concern for children’s healthy development, MCCA sponsored a conference in Brandon, Manitoba focused on this emerging issue.
• In 1978, MCCA drew 450 people to a public meeting opposing provincial daycare proposals. Parents unanimously demanded doubling the maintenance grant and expanding school‑age programs. MCCA mobilized media, organized demonstrations, met officials, joined International Women’s Day events, and circulated resolutions to sustain pressure for stable child‑care funding. 

Slowly, the MCCA began to rebuild.  In 1981, records show there were 100 members and an annual budget of $16,400.00. Funding was provided by The Winnipeg Foundation to hire the first Executive Director and secure office space. The goal was to become financially self-sufficient. 

By the fall of 1982, the MCCA has established the following goals:

1. To advocate for standards and guidelines beyond existing legislation that are designed to promote quality child care throughout the province.
2. To facilitate increased awareness and involvement of child care providers, parents, and members of the general public in Manitoba, in the planning and implementation of child care services.
3. To promote a networking and information exchange between child related agencies and organizations, child care centres, and individuals, for the purpose of continuing professional development of child care services.

Now ten years old, MCCA had defined core roles that still shape its work today: acting as a liaison across centres, governments, and communities; leading lobbying and advocacy efforts; providing continuing education through workshops, conferences, and public awareness; and delivering direct services such as group insurance, consultation, and sector‑wide networking. 

By 1986, MCCA had successfully transitioned from project funding to membership funding. 

• MCCA’s membership soundly endorses the Association’s plan to become a professional association by amending and expanding membership categories.
• MCCA purchases and renovates MCCA House, 364 McGregor Street.
• Administers an $800,000 federally funded child care training program at the U of W.

In 1987, MCCA officially moved into its new home on McGregor Street.

• MCCA introduces its Group RRSP.
• 17 members in Thompson Region form the founding regional board for the branch.
• MCCA begins to lobby for the establishment of an Infant Care diploma certificate; child care studies concentration at the U of M; joint degree program .

• One of the most public events was the October 17, 1989 Day of Demonstration organized by MCCA.  Hundreds of child care programs closed their doors and caregivers, parents, and supporters lobbied the government for a funding increase.  This resulted in the largest ever revenue package and significant gains in salary enhancement.
• Co-hosted the first National Child Care Conference.

• Initiated the Week of the Child Care Employee, later changed to Week of the ECE.
• Burned the mortgage on MCCA House.
• MCCA with CUPE Rally - Links for Quality Care.

A Worthy Wage Campaign is started & so was the historic quilt that still hangs on the walls of MCCA's office today.

MCCA adopts FCCP and Associate Membership Categories. Supporting a wider range of members in the sector. 

Home Alone Campaign

• Crisis Response Manual published.
• Code of Ethics ratified.

• First Directors Conference held.
• First MCCA/Manitoba Child Care Program challenge event held.
• FAS resource for ECEs produced.
• MCCA uses mural to promote Quality Child Care next to 364 McGregor St. 

• First Managing and Leading in the Non-Profit Child Care Sector workshops presented.
• First "Educaring" Conference co-hosted with Manitoba Association of School Trustees.

• 77% of the 24,000 responses to the Vision for Child Care and Development in Manitoba were generated by MCCA sponsored activities.
• MCCA leads the way to a national ethics project. 
• MCCA publishes Building the Career Corridor.
• Manitoba's Early Childhood Labour Market Strategy Project Report.
• MCCA launched its first website.

• Grand opening of new MCCA offices at 2350 McPhillips St.
• MCCA sponsored Dragon Boat Team: Three Hour Tour.

• Lobbied for the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care. 
• MCCA submitted a proposal for a Feasibility Study on Voluntary Accreditation.
• MCCA held an open house to celebrate its new location.

• MCCA produced Privacy Policy Resources for Early Childhood Facilities.
• MCCA Participates in the Dragon Boat Race.

• Celebrated the historic signing of the funding agreement on Early Learning and Child Care between the Government of Canada and the Government of Manitoba. 
• Received funding for the Feasibility Study on Voluntary Accreditation on Manitoba's Licensed Child Care Facilities.

Lobbied to maintain the 2005 funding agreement, cancelled by the newly elected Government of Canada.

• Feasibility Study on Voluntary Accreditation completed and resources distributed for licensed child care programs. 
• Partnered with People First HR Services to develop a Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale for Group Child Care Centres, and to upgrade our Human Resource Management Guide for Early Childhood Programs. 
• MCCA develops another strategic plan 2007 - 2010 and our first vision statement.

• Advocated to influence the second multi-year child care development plan: Family Choices Manitoba's Five-Year Agenda for Early Learning and Child Care. 
• Revised Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale for Group Child Care Centres 2008. 
• Terminated group benefits plan with Great West Life and appointed Health Source Plus as our group benefits plan administrators.
• Trained 11 new Ethics Guides.
• Held a "Call for Action" on October 22, 2008 to draw attention to the childcare workforce shortage.

• Re-introduced a group RRSP plan to be administered by Health Source Plus in partnership with Industrial Alliance.
• Co-hosted 32nd Annual Conference with the Canadian Child Care Federation.
• Produced Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale for Early Learning and Child Care Centres 2009.
• Developed a first position statement on the integration of child care and education.
• Produced a guideline pandemic plan, code of conduct, and use of technology policies for the Human Resource Management Guide for Early Learning and Child Care Programs.

• Developed and continued to refine position statement on Education and Early Learning and Care in Manitoba to reflect the growing trend toward integration of the two systems in other provinces. 
• Developed a policy Pension Plan for the Early Learning and Child Care Workforce in Manitoba and submitted it to the Government of Manitoba. 
• Produced Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale for Early Learning and Child Care Centres 2010. 
• On October 7, 2010, the Minister of Family Services announced funding for the pension plan will be effective December 1, 2010. 
• Worked with Industrial Alliance to offer a Simplified Money Purchase Pension Plan for MCCA members. 
• Continued to learn about and identify a position statement on an apprenticeship model of ECE training.

MCCA experienced a down turn in our revenue and had a net loss at year end. There are a number of reasons - the province has directed new funding to new facilities and existing facilities had to operate with very little new revenue. A few centres stopped paying their employees MCCA dues and rather than pay their own, the employees terminated their memberships. There was less money for professional development so attendance at our conference dropped significantly. There are more multi-site facilities with lots of employees and they are doing their own in-house professional development.

• The Honourable Jennifer Howard was named Minister of Family Services and Labour early in 2012. Her first announcement on child care was welcomed by facilities as it included a revenue package for both 2012 and 2013. Parent fees were to increase by $1.00 per day in each year and the unit funding is to increase by 1% in each year. In addition, there is a commitment to develop a standardized wage scale.
• Other developing issues are full school day kindergarten; reduced class size commitment; the reappearance of an apprenticeship model of ECE training, and the likelihood of a change to ECE training and classifications.
• MCCA attends the London Bridge Institute.

• Membership participation has peaked and dipped at 3809 members, even though the size of the system continues to grow. Out of 2,592 ECE IIs and Ills, 1571 are MCCA members. Out of 4,475 CCAs, 1272 are MCCA members. 

• MCCA learned about and spearheaded a campaign that led to the Manitoba School Boards Association defeating a resolution that would have granted school boards local autonomy to determine the feasibility of continuing commitments for educational spaces currently utilized by daycare and childcare centres in school buildings.

   

• MCCA proudly celebrated its 40th anniversary. 
• Pedagogical Community of Practice interest spreading.
• Initiated regular Director Lunch & Learns.
• Redesigned our website, began work to introduce an all in one membership management platform -Your Membership; updated and added to our Human Resource Management Guide for Early Learning and Child Care Programs.
• Participated on new workforce roundtable (in place of the Child Care Regulatory Review Committee)
•  Government of Manitoba announces new Family Choices plan including a Commission on Early Learning and Child Care and also Bill 7, The Public Schools Amendment Act (Protecting Child Care Space in Schools).

• Top 10 of the year included: consistently had 4000 members.
• Committing to a paperless membership processing system by 2018.
• First online workshops in partnership with RRC.
• Launched our new website and YM for membership management.
• Started to tweet from @MCCAHOUSE.
• Held the 16th annual directors conference.
• Partnered with People First to offer HR at Your Service to child care centres.

• MCCA's membership held consistent at 3957 members. 
• Regular meetings were had with Early Learning & Child Care Program as well as with Minister Fielding.
• Federal Government announces over $7B in federal funding for early learning and child care across Canada over 10 years. 
• Government of MB announces more funding for capital, preschool spaces and operating grant for family child care. Licensing streamlined, review of legislations, regulations and procedures begin (Bill 9 - Community Child Care Standards Amendment Act).

• The membership numbers increased slightly in 2018, finishing the year with 3999 members. 
• Manitoba signed the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. The five pillars under Manitoba's Action Plan included: Supporting New and Newly Funded, Affordable and Accessible Spaces, Building Sector Capacity and Stability, Rural and Northern Strategy, Diversity and Inclusion and Community Engagement and Public Reporting.
• As a result of the agreement, MCCA received funding to offer subsidized registrations for The Basics of Effective Board Governance: An Online Board Orientation Resource for Early Learning & Child Care Centres. 

• The membership numbers reached an all-time high of 4110. With a decrease in the student memberships to only $10.00/year (MCCA membership only) or $35.00/year (MCCA & CCCF membership), the number of student members increased by over 300% ! 
• In February, MCCA circulated a general petition to increase funding for licensed not for profit child-care programs. In only 4 short weeks, it received over 26,000 signatures. MCCA presented the Manitoba Legislative Assembly with the petition in April, where it was read every day in Question Period for months afterwards.

• This year will be remembered for years to come due to the global pandemic. Covid-19 changed the way many organizations operated. The issues, challenges and events of 2020 tested the resiliency of many, including MCCA. But through it all, the staff, board of directors and volunteers of the association, continued to advocate for early learning and child care, while still offering services to its 3949 members. 
• MCCA updated resources to support its membership - The Crisis Staffing Plan Guideline for ELCC programs and The Pandemic Business Continuity Plan.

• Much of the first half of this year was devoted to Bill 4 7 - The Early Learning & Child Care Act. When the Bill was announced by the Province of Manitoba, many questions and concerns resulted. MCCA spent countless hours reviewing Bill 47 in comparison to the Community Child Care Standards Act and subsequently sharing information with members. 
• MCCA partnered with Probe Research and released data on Public Views on Manitoba's Child Care System.

• As investments under the Canada-Manitoba Canada-wide Early Learning & Child Care Agreement begin to flow, it became an incredibly exciting, historic, and busy time for MCCA. 
• The Association was invited to numerous announcements about investments into the workforce and on affordability by both the federal and provincial governments. 
• MCCA gathered stakeholders from various sectors for consultation on its Roadmap to a Quality Early Learning and Child Care System. It was publicly released. In addition, MCCA updated and indexed its Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale 2022-2023 in anticipation of a provincial wage grid.

• MCCA’s Provincial Board of Directors, its Regional Chairs and staff and MCCA’s engaged with SideKick Consulting for a two-day strategic planning session, resulting in a 2023-2028 plan. Manitoba becomes the first jurisdiction under CWELCC to implement $10/day. MCCA was invited to attend the announcement made by Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. 

• MCCA kicked off a progressive (provincial) election campaign entitled Make Child Care a Priority this Election. 

   

• MCCA celebrates 50 years! A gala attended by 250 individuals was held. There were greetings and congratulatory messages from Mike Moyes (MLA from Riel), Don Giesbrecht, April Kalyniuk, and Karen Ohlson. The four Executive Directors, past and present, Wanda Wishart, Dorothy Kaytor, Pat Wege and Jodie Kehl all shared memories of their time as MCCA’s ED. 
• MCCA, in partnership with the School Age Support Committee, hosted its inaugural School Age Conference. 
• Karen (Kowalski) and Jodie (Kehl) attended the World Forum on Early Care and Education and Vancouver. 
• The staff and Board of Directors celebrated Karen (Kowalski) as she received her Celebrating Women award at the Provincial Council of Women of Manitoba Gala.

• A membership milestone as MCCA surpasses 5000 members. 
• Priority actions included: partnering with Probe Research to deploy four province-wide surveys (MCCA Members/ELCC Workforce, Parents, Business Leaders and Average Manitobans).
• Beginning a journey with Joanna White to meaningful embed Indigenous teachings and fostering respectful relationships with Indigenous communities.
• Quarterly meetings with the Deputy and Assistant Deputy Minister.
• Received a permanent space on the MCT.
• Worked with Curbridge Consulting to develop Directors’ Desk (online HR portal).
• Held the 6th annual Pedagogical Institute and a 5-day rural Managing and Leading.