The Honourable Krista Lynn Howell, Minister of Education, provided an update today on actions underway as part of the $347 million in investments relating to early learning and child care training, staffing and space creation in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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.
The Department of Education is also on track to launch a child care demand portal this fall for parents and caregivers. The portal will provide the department with a comprehensive understanding of the demand for child care in all areas of the province.
Details on previously announced actions to support space creation and recruitment in early learning and child care is included in the backgrounder below. These actions are part of the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
Access to high quality, affordable child care is important for families, the economy and the future of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Provincial Government will continue work to grow capacity in the early learning and child care sector in the province.
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“We understand the urgency to achieve an affordable and accessible child care system. That’s why our government is taking concrete steps to address the needs of children, families, early childhood educators and licensees now and into the future. The efforts to improve access to high quality and affordable child care are showing progress. We will continue to prioritize early learning and child care to ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador has a bright future.”
Honourable Krista Lynn Howell
Minister of Education