Excerpts:
10-Year Child Care Strategy
Budget 2013 allocates an investment of $31.1 million in 2013-14 for child care in Newfoundland and Labrador, with a focus on continuing the implementation of Caring For Our Future: Provincial Strategy for Quality, Sufficient and Affordable Child Care in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Key investments under the strategy include:
Child Care Services Subsidy Program
$14.3 million to assist eligible families with child care rates in a licensed child care centre or a regulated family child care home through the Child Care Services Subsidy Program. A review of the program will take place during this fiscal year to ensure the program is streamlined and effective for parents, program operators and family child care providers.
Early Learning and Child Care Supplement
$5.8 million for the Early Learning and Child Care Supplement, which will include qualified Level I early childhood educators working directly with children in a homeroom to receive an annual increase of $3,330 for a total supplement of $6,660 and Level II program operators to receive an annual increase of $3,340 for a total supplement of $10,000, both of which will become effective April 1, 2013.
Child Care Capacity Initiative
$1.8 million for the Child Care Capacity Initiative, which provides start-up grants for non-profit community-based organizations offering child care services.
Inclusion Program
$1.6 million to provide additional staff or funded spaces to accommodate all children in regular programming through the Inclusion Supports Program.
Family Child Care Initiative
$1 million to continue the Family Child Care Initiative as it provides much needed regulated child care spaces with an emphasis on spaces for infants. The initiative will help further stimulate the economy by providing people, especially women, with opportunities to enter and remain in the labour market either by becoming a regulated family child care provider or by availing of the regulated family child care spaces.
Workplace Training Program
$500,000 will be invested to develop and commence a workplace training program that will include prior learning and assessment and recognition to support upgrading of early childhood educator qualifications.
Community Needs Assessment Tool
$50,000 to assist in identifying greatest needs and exploring opportunities to develop child care spaces in areas identified as priorities through a new community needs assessment tool. This new tool will support growth of child care services in targeted areas with a focus on the labour market needs of communities.
Centralized Child Care Registry
$20,000 to develop and maintain a centralized child care registry that will assist in determining and addressing ongoing and future need for child care throughout the province.