News & Stories: Policy Monitor

Excerpt: "Under the Canada-Wide Agreement, Manitoba has introduced a provincial wage grid, expanded post-secondary education and training seats, established a tuition reimbursement program and introduced professional development days. Most recently, in May 2025 the province announced in partnership with Canada the biggest increase to wages for front-line ECEs in Manitoba’s history. Our Commitment; Improve recruitment, retention and recognition of the early learning and child care workforce; Continue to engage with partners in advancing this work; Publicly report on our progress."

Excerpt: "We found 694 instances where child care spaces were underutilized compared to approved spaces. This suggests the Ministry may have approved new child care spaces in locations that do not need them. Also, not analyzing the supply of early childhood educators increases the risk of approving spaces that cannot be staffed."

Excerpt: "Ontario is investing $20 million to launch the Liam Riazati Memorial Fund, a new initiative to help protect children in child care by helping community-based licensed facilities install concrete barriers. The new fund honours the life of Liam Riazati, a child who tragically passed away following a motor vehicle collision with a child care centre in September 2025."

Excerpt: "The province is investing … $9.7 million, including nearly $1.6 million in funding from the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Minority-Language Education and Second Official-Language Instruction, for an addition to l’École élémentaire publique Mamawi in the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario. The addition will provide 104 new student spaces and 39 new licensed child care spaces."

Excerpt: "Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, along with the Honourable Paul Calandra, Ontario’s Minister of Education, announced a one-year extension to the Canada–Ontario Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (Canada-wide ELCC) Agreement, until March 31, 2027. The ministers also announced that future funding of $695 million would be instead provided by Canada to the province in 2026, to help maintain eligible child care fees at their current average of $19 per day until December 31, 2026. In total, today’s announcement means that more than $3.9 billion in federal funding will be allocated to the Government of Ontario in 2026-27 to support continued access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services."

Excerpt: "The activity centres in Mission and Glenmore will each have 12 licensed child care spaces for children younger than 36 months, 25 spaces for children between 30 months and school age, and 54 spaces for school-age children."

Excerpt: "The new Prince George School District Child Care Facility is at 32 Heather Cres. in Mackenzie. It has 12 licensed child care spaces for children younger than 36 months, 25 spaces for children between 30 months and school age, and 25 spaces for school-age children."

Excerpt: "ECEs and other members of the child care workforce are the heart of B.C.’s child care system. Since launching the Early Care and Learning Recruitment and Retention Strategy in 2018, the Province has made significant investments – alongside federal partners – to support and strengthen the child care workforce, including: Wage enhancements for ECEs; • Specialized certification grants for Infant & Toddler and Special Needs Educators; Expanded access to post-secondary ECE programs, including dual credit courses for high school students and bursaries to assist with the costs of education; Streamlined pathways for international applicants to become certified as ECEs in
B.C. Together, these initiatives improve compensation, recognize qualifications, and create sustainable career pathways – helping to recruit and retain skilled professionals and enhance the quality of child care throughout the province."

Excerpt: "Families in East Preston will soon have more options and improved access to child care. The Province is providing about $2.1 million to help create up to 48 new child-care spaces at the East Preston Day Care Centre. This project is part of provincial and federal efforts to expand access to child care, supported through the Canada–Nova Scotia Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement."

Excerpt: "Through these extended agreements, the Government of Canada will provide more than $1.6 billion to Saskatchewan over five years to support access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services across the province. This includes an annual 3% funding increase, to help ensure the agreements are sustainable over their duration. As part of the extension, parents of children who turn six while still in child care will continue to be eligible for the $10-a-day rate for the remainder of the same school year."

Excerpt: "Construction of a new child care centre was made possible through nearly $8 million from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund. This fund is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. British Columbia and the federal government signed an extension to the agreement for 2026-27 until 2030-31. “Child care spaces like those coming to Fernie Elementary school help families thrive,” said Anna Gainey, federal Secretary of State for Children and Youth. “These centres strengthen communities, give kids the best start and ease pressure on parents.” The child care centre will include 12 spaces for infant-toddlers and 25 spaces for children three to five years."

Excerpt: "The new Higher Wages, Good Jobs, More Child Care strategy lays out a roadmap to recruit and support the child-care workforce in Manitoba. Organized around three pillars – recruitment, retention and recognition – the strategy will implement a number of initiatives to achieve its workforce goals, the minister noted. “Having access to affordable, high-quality child care has been life-changing for our family,” said Quinn Suderman, a Winnipeg parent of two. “It’s not just about having a spot, it’s knowing our children are in a safe, nurturing environment with educators who truly care. It gives us peace of mind and the flexibility to work and support our family.” A key part of the strategy, the early childhood educators (ECE) recruit-back incentive has just been launched with the goal of recruiting child-care professionals who have left the field. The initiative provides a $5,000 incentive for ECE II and IIIs who have not worked in a Manitoba licensed child-care centre or licensed home-based child-care setting for at least two consecutive years to return to full-time employment in a Manitoba licensed and non-profit child-care facility. This strategy complements a wage increase for child-care professionals introduced in May 2025, which saw front-line ECE wages increase by up to $5 an hour."