News & Stories: Northwest Territories

Excerpt: "The Northwest Territories (NWT) Early Learning Framework has been inspired and adapted, with permission, from British Columbia's Early Learning Framework (2019), which aligns with our vision of supporting a child-centred, culturally responsive, and inclusive approach to early learning and child care. In addition, early learning frameworks across Canada and other countries were reviewed and guided our work, particularly: New Brunswick Curriculum Framework for Early Learning and Child Care (2008); Capable, Confident, and Curious: Nova Scotia’s Early Learning Curriculum Framework (2018); Nunavut Early Learning and Child Care Quality Framework (2023); How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years (2014); Flight Alberta’s Early Learning and Care Framework (2014); Belonging, Being & Becoming The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (2022); Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa New Zealand's Early Learning Curriculum (2017). While these documents provide a foundation, the NWT Early Learning Framework (framework) is meant to reflect the unique needs, values and cultures of educators, children, families, and communities of the NWT. The framework is meant to build on the valuable work already established in supporting the care and teaching of young children in the NWT, while intending to leave space for future direction."

Excerpt: "June 4, 2025, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) released the first edition of the Early Learning Framework. The Early Learning Framework is a resource for educators in early learning and child care programs to support them in their work. The framework reflects the vision and values outlined in the 2030 Early Learning and Child Care Strategy. It is intended to build on the valuable work already established in supporting the care and teaching of young children across the NWT, while also leaving space for future growth and direction. The first edition of the framework is designed to support a shared understanding for creating positive and nurturing early years experiences for children. It offers a common language to inspire meaningful communication between children, families, broader community, educators, and other early years services. It does not suggest a one-size-fits-all model for early learning and child care. Instead, it presents a set of broad principles centered on supporting the diverse needs of children, families, programs, and communities."

Excerpt: " The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) implemented today an increase of $3.5 million in Dedicated Wage Funding and a permanent increase of $664,000 in Flexible Funding to support the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Sector. The Dedicated Wage Funding is intended to increase wages to early childhood educators working in licensed centre-based early learning and child care facilities. This funding represents a significant increase to the wage grid and increases the minimum that all early childhood educators in centre-based facilities must be paid by approximately $9/hour."

Excerpt: "This budget proposes $10.5 million to make child care more affordable, helping parents participate more fully in the formal labour force. The Government of the Northwest Territories will continue to advocate to the federal government to increase compensation levels of early child care staff to align with education assistants in the K-12 system."

Excerpt: "As part of this agreement, the Government of Canada will invest $7.4 million over the next three years to enhance and expand the Territory’s existing Healthy Food for Learning program, providing enhanced programming to 8,615 kids across all 49 schools in the territory this year. Federal investments will be put toward purchasing new kitchen equipment and upgrading kitchens, hiring new staff dedicated to school food programming and coordination, increasing availability of traditional foods, and improving the nutritional value of meal options. Schools in the territories have taken a collaborative approach to building and addressing their school food programs needs by working together with local business partners, elders, educators and students."

Excerpt: "New reports on developmental inclusion practices and supports within Northwest Territories (NWT) early learning and child care settings are now available. Between June 2023 and July 2024, a third party was contracted to review current inclusion-related educational practices and supports available within licensed early learning and child care programs in the NWT. This review was informed through engagement and interviews with partners, including early childhood educators and identified organizations who provide inclusion supports to early learning and child care programs. The results of this engagement are included in the Review of Inclusive Education Practices in Early Learning and Child Care settings in the Northwest Territories – What We Heard. The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) also published a response to the findings of the What We Heard Report."

Excerpt: "Amendments to the Northwest Territories’ (NWT) Early Learning and Child Care Regulations came into effect November 14, 2024. The updated regulations introduce a wage grid and certification process for licensed centre-based staff. The wage grid establishes the minimum rate of hourly pay for employees based on the community they work in, the type of position they hold, years of experience, education, Indigenous knowledge, and Northern experience."

Excerpt: "The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and the Northwest Territories Early Childhood Association (NWTECA) have agreed on terms of reference to guide their partnership to establish an early learning and child care system that provides quality programs and supports licensed family day homes and centre-based programs. The GNWT and the NWTECA hold regular meetings to discuss important matters affecting the sector. The goal of this agreement is to foster transparency between the GNWT, the NWTECA’s board, and its members to ensure that licensed program operators and early childhood educators fully understand changes to the sector and how they will be impacted."

Excerpt: "This annual report provides a snapshot of the state of the Northwest Territories (NWT) education system and provides crucial data to help the GNWT and education bodies address student needs and provide the supports and resources necessary for students to thrive. While there are some encouraging results identified in the 2022-2023 report, the GNWT recognizes that there is a lot of important work to do to improve student outcomes across the Northwest Territories. The GNWT is committed to collaborating with partners, including education bodies and Indigenous governments, to support students throughout their education."

Excerpt: "But more families need access to affordable child care. That’s why, today in Yellowknife, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, joined the Honourable Caitlin Cleveland, Northwest Territories’ Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, to announce $10.6 million over four years, with $7.8 million through 2025–2026, to help build more inclusive child care spaces across the Northwest Territories through the Government of Canada’s $625 million Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund. This investment will help the Northwest Territories reach the shared goal of building 300 new child care spaces by 2026. Through this Fund, all provinces and territories will be able to make further investments in child care, so more families can save up to $14,300 on child care every year, per child."

Excerpt: "Through this action plan, Canada’s investments support five key areas: Affordability - Over $25 million toward achieving an average of $10-a-day for child care fees. This investment has made licensed ELCC programming more affordable for all families, regardless of their income or location in the territory. The Government of the Northwest Territories had already reduced out-of-pocket child care fees by an average of 60% as of April 1, 2023, and will reach an average of $10-a-day per child by April 1, 2024, for all licensed ELCC spaces. Access - $770,000 toward preserving and expanding licensed spaces. This investment includes health and safety funding to support repairs and maintenance required during the licensing and inspection process, and start-up funding to purchase supplies, material, and other costs incurred when setting up a new licensed program. Inclusion - In addition to territorial investments, $135,000 dedicated to developing a renewed approach to inclusion. This investment aims to ensure all children experience safe and nurturing environments, including Indigenous children and children needing enhanced or individual supports to fully participate in early learning. Quality - More than $30 million toward initiatives that support the ELCC workforce. This investment will focus on providing professional learning and development, funding post-secondary institutions to offer ELCC education programs, and providing scholarships to part- and full-time post-secondary students enrolled in early childhood development programs. This investment will also help develop a wage grid, with an implementation target date in 2024–2025. Administration and reporting - Almost $5 million toward building targeted capacity and additional resources within the Government of the Northwest Territories to support licensed ELCC space creation, enhance access, and improve reporting capacity."

Excerpt: "Today, the Honourable Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, joined the Honourable Caitlin Cleveland, the Northwest Territories’ Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, to announce that the Northwest Territories will achieve an average of $10-a-day child care fees under the Canada-wide early learning and child care system by April 1, 2024—two years ahead of the national target. Through a combination of funding provided under the Canada–Northwest Territories Early Learning and Child Care Agreement as well as territorial funding, the governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories are working together to improve access to high-quality, affordable and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services, with the goal of ensuring that Northwest Territories families that need or want to can access licensed child care for an average of $10 a day. Families in the Northwest Territories could save up to $9,120 a year for each child in licensed child care once fees reach an average of $10 a day."