Excerpt from the news release:
Staff at the Yukon's child care centres and family day homes will now receive additional monies as part of the $230,000 increase to the direct operating grant announced last week by Health and Social Services Minister Peter Jenkins.
The $230,000 will be split evenly down the middle with $115,000 going to support wages of child care providers and the remainder going to support operational costs based on setup spaces.
Jenkins acknowledged the increase to the direct operating grant will not answer all of the concerns raised by the child care community but he added work will begin on developing a four year plan to address the issues raised by the Yukon Child Care Association, the Yukon Child Care Board, and the Society of Yukon Family Day Homes.
The department will enter into individual agreements with each facility based on the number of spaces they provide. The direct operating grant will now be based on "set-up" spaces, not on enrolment. "Set up" spaces are the licensed spaces a program is staffed for, regardless of whether or not the space is occupied. This change will ensure that changes in the economy and population will not have an adverse impact on a facility's operation. There are currently 1,014 children in licensed Yukon childcare facilities.