The PEI agreement allocates $10.5M, for early learning and child care investments. The focus for the province will be on more spaces for infants and pre-schoolers, and better access for vulnerable children, and for under-served populations including Newcomer families and Acadian and French speaking communities. There is some funding directed towards professional training for Early Childhood Educators with the aim of improving quality.
The New Brunswick agreement allocated close to $30 M with an additional contribution of $71M from the province. It is very similar to PEI, with a focus on spaces for preschoolers, implementing inclusion policy, developing guidelines for language acquisition and cultural identify, and increase professional learning for early childhood educators.
Both plans are silent on recruitment and retention strategies for the child care workforce, which includes the long standing problem of compensation. The Canadian and Child Care Federation and provincial/territorial affiliates have written to Minister Duclos recommending the child care workforce be integral policy and spending priorities of the bi-lateral agreements.
The Province of Ontario signed their bi-lateral on June 16, 2017.
Manitoba signed on to the child care multi-lateral agreement with Ottawa but has not yet completed a bi-lateral.
CCCF/Provincial Affiliates letter to Minister Duclos:
Joint affiliate letter to Duclos
MCCAs Brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, Pre-budget consultations 2018
Categories: News
Posted by Jodie Kehl at 1:47 pm
