Policy Monitor

This report presents the findings of Year 2 of the four-year evaluation of the Nova Scotia Early Years Centre initiative, led by an evaluation team from Dalhousie University, research Power Incorporated, and Mount Saint Vincent University) and funded by the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation. Key lessons learned and issues for further consideration are provided to support continuous program improvements at the local and provincial levels of the system.

Excerpt: "Understanding the importance of early childhood education in the years before kindergarten and the struggle many families face over the cost of daycare, our government will increase the amount it provides to New Brunswickers to help pay for the cost of daycare. By January 1, 2018, in keeping with our platform commitment, we will have doubled the budget of the daycare assistance program."

Excerpt: "$1.6 M to the Nunavut Arctic College to support a new law program in partnership with the University of Saskatchewan, launching this fall. The GN is also providing $1.3M to help the College fund its Social Worker and Early Childhood Education programs."

Excerpt: "To increase accessibility of child care, $20 million of that investment in 2017-18 will support the creation of up to 2,000 new, additional, child care spaces. These spaces are in addition to government’s current goal of creating 13,000 new licensed child care spaces between 2014 and 2020, announced as part of the B.C. Early Years Strategy."

Excerpt: "Ontario is investing in infrastructure and economic development in First Nation communities in Northern Ontario, to identify new business opportunities, boost economic growth and provide safe child care spaces."

Excerpt: "As part of Ontario's commitment to supporting child care professionals, the program will receive ongoing, annual funding. This year, the province will provide: An ongoing wage enhancement, up to $2 per hour plus benefits, for eligible child care workers and home visitors in the licensed child care sector; An ongoing enhancement, up to $20 per day, for eligible home child care providers; A raise in the maximum hourly wage to be eligible for the wage enhancement - an increase of 1.5 per cent to $26.68 per hour. For home child care providers, the daily fees maximum will be $266.80 per day."

Excerpt: "Overall, the most common challenges experienced while on maternity or parental leave are regarding financial hardships, restrictions in the qualification criteria for those self-employed or on contract, and difficulties finding childcare. When asked about their challenges while being in maternity or parental leave, the most common challenges mentioned are related to finances, especially among those with single income families, twins, and multiple births; difficulties finding suitable and affordable childcare; and problems qualifying for EI benefits while being self-employed or working on contract."

Excerpt: "$1.5 million to help offset the costs of the junior kindergarten program as it is rolled out in all NWT communities for four-year old children and a commitment to spend an additional $2.7 million for schools before the end of the 18th Legislative Assembly to ensure that this critical program can be implemented in all communities."

Excerpt: "Province Investing in 3,400 New Child Care Spaces and Launching Public Consultations."

Excerpt: "Each new child-care centre will receive up to $500,000 in operating funding in the first year, with the opportunity to receive two more years of funding. The locations of new child-care centres, targeted to where demand is greatest, will be announced early in 2017."

Explore EDI vulnerability rates & trends for BC kids via our new interactive EDI BC 2016 Provincial Report.

Excerpt: "Ontario is creating 88 new licensed child care spaces in the Waterloo Region, increasing the availability of safe, high-quality, child care for local families. The five new child care rooms for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers will be located in the new St. Boniface Catholic School, which is scheduled to open in 2019. The spaces will give more families the opportunity to transition from child care into full-day kindergarten at the same location."