News & Stories: Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "The Early Learning and Child Care Act (2025) Bill No. 48 received assent today in the Yukon Legislative Assembly, marking a significant milestone in modernizing child care legislation in the territory. This new Act will replace an outdated law and align the Yukon’s early learning and child care system with best practices across Canada. Developed through extensive collaboration with early childhood educators, families, Yukon First Nations and stakeholders, the Act reflects the voices and concerns of Yukoners. It enshrines the principles of quality, accessibility and inclusivity, ensuring Yukon children and families receive the best possible care and support. For the first time, the Yukon’s early childhood educators and the process for their certification are officially recognized in law, highlighting their role as professionals. The new Act also ensures that licensed child care providers pay educators fair wages, with regulations outlining how they must be paid. This will help guarantee professional wages for professional educators, supporting high quality in early learning programs."

Excerpt: "This rewarding career allows educators the opportunity to form bonds with children while teaching them important life skills during their most formative years. [Learn about the} Role of an Early Childhood Educator; Work Requirements; Work-Life Balance as an Early Childhood Educator; Average Wage of ECEs."

Excerpt: "The Early Years Branch collaborated with the National Association of Regulatory Administration (NARA) in the United States to create and introduce differential monitoring, a system for monitoring and licensing child care facilities. The implementation of this new system, which includes the abbreviated checklist with key indicators and weighted risk indicators, commenced in the spring of 2021. As part of this collaboration with NARA, a quality assessment tool was developed: Saskatchewan's Early Learning and Child Care Quality Key Indicator Instrument (SK Quality Tool). The ministry is now implementing use of this new quality assessment tool. Participation in this differential monitoring approach to licensing and monitoring child care facilities is mandatory for all child care centres."

Excerpt: "The ELCC Workforce Enhancement Grant is a grant for regulated and operational child care centres and group family child care homes to support recruitment and retention of Assistants and qualified Early Childhood Educators (ECEs). New and existing facilities who hold a licence between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, are eligible. The grant is calculated at $145 per licenced child care space."

Excerpt: "Effective September 1, 2024, the ECE Wage Enhancement Grant will be increased for certified staff working in child care centres and certified assistants working in group family child care homes. The increased grant will provide up to an additional $1.00 per hour for ECE Level Is, IIs and IIIs. This increase builds upon previous ECE Wage Enhancement Grants announced in November 20211, October 2022 and October 2023."

Excerpt: "Early childhood educators (ECE) provide developmentally appropriate care and learning programs for children and support parents and caregivers to participate in the economy or upgrade their skills. The province recognizes that ECEs are important to growing the number of regulated child care spaces in the province and has prioritized investments into the recruitment and retention of ECE professionals under the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement."

Excerpt: "Families in Plymouth, Pictou County, will have more access to early learning and child-care spaces opening in their community. The Province is providing the Plymouth Community and Recreation Association with $3.1 million in infrastructure funding for a renovation and addition to the Plymouth Community Centre that will allow the creation of 58 early learning spaces, including 16 infant spaces. “Investments in child care are investments in families and in our future,” said Premier Tim Houston. “I’m pleased that our government is supporting the community centre to continue its legacy of helping young people and families by adding new child-care spaces.”"

Excerpt: "Students and families will have more access to affordable child care spaces and a new centre to train early childhood educators (ECE) at Capilano University (CapU) in North Vancouver. “Access to high-quality, affordable child care is essential, not only for advancing equality but also for strengthening our economy by helping more people pursue an education or find a job,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “The new Fulmer Family Centre for Childhood Studies doubles the number of child care spaces on campus, supporting families in the community, while also providing more opportunities for early childhood education students to get the education they need to join the workforce in their chosen field.” The centre adds 74 child care spaces for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, for a total of 143 on-campus spaces. A purpose-built learning space with labs and classrooms is also opening to provide education for 20 additional early childhood educators, bringing the practicum placements for students on campus to 48."

Excerpt: "In response to a number of cases of financial mismanagement by school boards, the Ontario government is taking action to increase accountability and ensure boards are focused on improving student outcomes, so students are able to acquire the skills and knowledge they need to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow. This includes immediate measures to increase oversight at several school boards of particular concern. The province will closely monitor the results of these measures and is prepared to take additional action to ensure all school boards are focused on delivering high-quality education as part of its plan to protect Ontario with a back-to-basics approach that prepares students and our workforce for whatever comes our way."

Excerpt: "Twenty-five school districts will each receive $200,000 to fund the construction of new accessible school playgrounds. “Playgrounds are more than just places to play, they are spaces where children make friends, build confidence and create memories,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care. “The new playgrounds we are announcing today will provide communities throughout B.C. with safe, accessible and inclusive spaces for kids and families to enjoy for years to come.”"

Excerpt: "Further to the memo communication of November 26, 2024, regarding the Ontario Child Care and Early Years Funding Guidelines (“the Guidelines”), I am writing with additional updates to support municipal planning for 2025 and beyond, including: Results of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) space target
recalibration exercise; Information on the Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund; Updated 2025 Allocations; Updates to the Guidelines."

Excerpt: "Beginning in the fall of 2025, a significant number of school divisions will begin a pilot, noted the minister, with full implementation in all school divisions in fall 2026. All students will be screened in early fall for at least three consecutive years between kindergarten to Grade 4. A second screening will take place in the spring, which will be optional for students that meet benchmarks in the fall. School divisions will select from standardized evidence-based screening tools to ensure the program is reliable and can predict students who may be at risk of future reading difficulties including dyslexia."