Canada – Newfoundland and Labrador Early Learning and Child Care Agreement – 2021 to 2025

Annex 2: Newfoundland and Labrador’s action plan for fiscal year 2021 to 2022 through fiscal year 2022 to 2023

Introduction

Federal vision

The federal Government's vision is that all families in Canada have access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care no matter where they live.

With an investment of almost $30 billion over the next 5 years and $9.2 billion ongoing, through Budget 2021 and other investments, the Government of Canada will work with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners, to implement key components of the Canada-wide system, including:

• 50% reduction in average parent fees for regulated ELCC by the end of 2022 and reaching an average of $10 per day by fiscal year 2025 to 2026 for all regulated child care spaces
• creating more high-quality, affordable regulated child care spaces, primarily through not-for-profit and public child care providers
• addressing barriers to provide inclusive and flexible child care
• valuing the early childhood workforce and providing them with training and development opportunities

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador will collaborate with the Government of Canada to help achieve this vision to meet the needs of the province's citizens in a manner that recognizes the province's particular context for early learning and child care.

Existing early learning and child care system in Newfoundland and Labrador

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has a long history of providing a range of early learning and child care programs and services for young children and their families, while striving to increase access to affordable, high quality child care.

In 2005, the Department of Education expanded its role to bring early learning and child care into the same ministry as kindergarten to 12, by creating a Division of Early Childhood Learning. In 2014, the Division of Family and Child Development, with a mandate for regulated child care and family resource centres, moved from the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services into the renamed Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. In 2016, the Department implemented full-day kindergarten province-wide. In April 2017, the 2 divisions were merged and the Early Learning and Child Development Division was formed. This division has responsibility for regulated child care and family resource centres. In 2020, the Department acquired post secondary education and became the Department of Education.

Child care for children (birth to 13 years) is governed by the Child Care Act and Child Care Regulations (2017). The Child Care Act and associated regulations promote healthy child development during the early years and ensure a safe, nurturing and inclusive early learning environment for the children who participate. The legislation promotes economic stability on both a community and a provincial level. It contributes to gender equity, enables parents of young children to participate in the labour market, assists in poverty reduction and helps to build a skilled future workforce. In addition to these benefits, it provides improved developmental outcomes for children who take part in early learning opportunities, especially for the children who are most vulnerable in our society. All regulated child care services must follow the Child Care Act and regulations and meet the minimum required standards to maintain their licence. Minimum required standards, which will continue in a Canada-wide system, include but are not limited to:

• educational qualifications of caregivers, such as at least 1 caregiver with a 1-year early childhood education diploma (Level 1 certification) in every homeroom
• supervision requirements, such as children shall be supervised at all times in a manner that is developmentally appropriate
• behavioural requirements, such as, behavioural guidance policies that recognize and promote developmental abilities, acknowledge diversity, and prohibit confinement, restraint and deprival of needs must be developed and implemented
• comprehensive and coordinated program requirements, such as programs must be child centred, developmentally and culturally appropriate, foster development and address individual and group needs
• health and safety requirements, such as, the facility and the child care service must provide a healthy, safe and developmentally appropriate environment
• specific caregiver to child ratios and group sizes, such as a 1:3 ratio / maximum group size 6 for infants (birth to 2 years), a 1:5 ratio / maximum group size 10 for toddlers (1 year 6 months to 3 years), a 1:8 ratio / maximum group size 16 for preschoolers (2 years 9 months to 5 years 9 months), and a 1:12 ratio / maximum group size 24 for younger school age children (4 years 9 months to 7 years)
• physical building requirements including the outdoor play area, such as must be 3.3 squared metres of space per child inside and 7 square metres per child outside to accommodate all licensed spaces
• on-going inspection and monitoring by departmental inspectors

Newfoundland and Labrador population projections

Source: Statistics Canada; Department of finance

Text version of graph 1

The bar graph provides a visual for the number of births in Newfoundland and Labrador between 1949 and 2040. On the horizontal axis are the years and on the vertical axis is the number of births per year.

• In 1949, Newfoundland and Labrador experienced slightly over 12,000 births with a peak of over 15,000 birth in 1961
• After 1961, the number of births per year declines until the year 2000, which saw approximately 4,500 births
• Between the years 2000 and 2019, the province saw slightly over 4,000 births per year

The number of births per year is projected to be approximately 1,600 between 2020 and 2040.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the number of births has declined since the baby boom ended in the mid-1960s. Births dropped from over 15,000 in the mid-sixties to about 3,700 in 2020, and are projected to drop to about 3,600 by 2040. This trend is the result of a complex set of economic, social and cultural factors that are not easily changed by policy interventions.

In addition to low birth rates, the aging phenomenon has been exacerbated by high rates of out-migration among young people in the most fertile child-bearing age range. As a result, the province's population has aged much more rapidly than any other province in the country over the last 50 years. The province's median age has gone from 5 years lower than Canada's in 1971 to over 6 years higher than Canada's in 2020. The aging trend will likely continue for years to come.

The median age in the province is expected to increase from 47.4 years of age in 2020 to 49.9 years in 2040. Rapid aging of the population is perhaps one of the most important demographic challenges confronting the province because of its significant implications for government.

The aging trend is expected to be more pronounced in rural areas of the province as youth out-migration from these areas continues. For example, in the province's Great Northern Peninsula the median age is currently 56 years, over 8 years higher than for the province as a whole, and is expected to increase to over 63 years by 2040. Thus, the impacts of aging will vary across regions. Consequently, negative natural population change is expected to continue to constrain population growth and as such, the demographic trends will alter the expectations, demand and needs of the province's population.

Current data collection system

Data collected by the Early Learning and Child Development Division is housed within the Integrated Systems Management (ISM) Matrix. ISM Matrix is a web-based, case-management application that provides automated support for casework and reporting. ISM Matrix currently collects and stores information pertaining to the following program areas:

• child care services licensing, investigations and monitoring
• child care capacity initiative
• operating grant program
• child care subsidy program
• child care inclusion program
• family resource programs

Some of the limitations of the current ISM Matrix include:

• information on individual children or families
• average daily parental out-of-pocket fee for regulated child care spaces at the end of each fiscal year
• number of children aged under age 6 and 6 to 12 years receiving fee subsidies, broken down by families receiving partial and full subsidies
• number of net new spaces created during the fiscal year, broken down by age groups of child and type of setting
• reports on staffing information, such as certification and qualifications
• number of inclusive spaces created/converted, broken down by age group of child and type of setting
• number of children under age 6 and 6 to 12 years with exceptionalities/varying abilities that are in regulated ELCC spaces

Discussions will be undertaken with the Newfoundland and Labrador Office of the Chief Information Officer to determine whether ISM can be enhanced to collect the data required to fulfil this agreement or whether an additional data management program will be needed.

Existing child care services and programs in Newfoundland and Labrador

Recent provincial ELCC initiatives reflect an understanding of the significance of the early years and a commitment to early learning. To improve quality, access and affordability in early learning and child care, the following child care services and programs currently exist for families in Newfoundland and Labrador:

1. Operating Grant Program ($25 a day effective January 1, 2021) (OGP) launched in 2014, provides grants to participating regulated child care services to improve the affordability and sustainability of child care services for families with young children. The OGP sets conditions for receiving operational grants which include setting caps for parent fees, serving healthy snacks and lunches, and setting minimum wages for early childhood educators (ECEs) working in the centre. This program lowers the cost of child care for all parents, and is particularly beneficial to those more in need who are eligible for a child care subsidy.^{Footnote 1} This program reduces child care fees for families by setting daily fee maximums for participating child care programs. Effective January 1, 2021 child care fees were reduced to $25 per day for all age categories from $44 per day (infants); $33 per day (toddlers) and $30 per day (preschoolers). Currently, 90% of child care services and spaces (child care centres and family child care homes) participate in this program

2. Child Care Services Subsidy (CCSS) program in Newfoundland and Labrador assists eligible families with the cost of regulated child care services by supporting low and moderate income families. The net family income (after income testing) is used to calculate the parental contribution towards the cost of child care. The subsidy is paid to the parent's chosen child care service based on daily subsidy rates set under program policy. Child care services not participating in the OGP may set their daily parent fee above the subsidy approved rate (child care services participating in the OGP are prohibited from charging any fees above the $25 per day rate)

3. The Child Care Capacity Initiative (CCCI) provides developmental funding for not-for-profit organizations, municipalities, and regulated family home child care providers to increase the number of regulated child care spaces, particularly in underserviced areas, with a focus on rural, linguistic minority and indigenous communities. In 2017, with the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Early Learning and Child Care Bilateral Agreement, the Capacity Program was enhanced to include family child care and to increase and update eligible funding categories to the existing program for not-for-profit organizations. The funding supports applicants to ensure they meet legislative requirements that allow them to become licensed/approved to provide regulated, quality, and affordable child care throughout the province. The CCCI assists with the costs associated with start-up and renovation expenses such as the purchase of quality materials and equipment to meet health and safety requirement (such as, egress windows, fire suppression systems) as well as developmentally appropriate materials and equipment to deliver an inclusive quality program. Once operational these programs receive operational funding through the OGP

4. Quality Enhancement Program (ELCC-QEP) is intended to enhance quality in regulated child care services through consultation regarding program design, learning processes, interactions with children and their families, and enhancements to physical environments

   Participation in the ELCC-QEP is open to all regulated child care services. This program offers dedicated child care consultants (Quality) who work with, and provide consultation to, all child care services that wish to participate. This includes, but is not limited to, access to tools for self-reflection, program quality, facilitating access to services, mentorship and dialogue with the quality consultant. Other areas for consideration are professional learning opportunities and structural aspects of the learning environment that enhance the quality of learning and care. Evidence-based curricular enhancements and professional learning opportunities strengthen the sector's capacity to enhance the quality of early learning and child care for all children participating in the regulated child care services sector.

   Child care services participating in the OGP are automatically included in the quality enhancement program. A Quality Enhancement Grant is available to all child care services participating in the ELCC-QEP.

5. Child Care Inclusion Program (CCIP) provides assistance to regulated child care services to ensure all children, including those with exceptionalities (diagnosed or undiagnosed), can participate to their fullest potential in a regular child care program. Through this program, children of all abilities and diversities have equitable access to quality child care programs and are supported in learning through play along with their peers in a regular program. Supports such as consultation, training and grants are available where the need has been assessed by a regional Inclusion consultant of the Department of Education. The support of the CCIP is voluntary and is provided at the request of the child care service

ELCC workforce support

Newfoundland and Labrador values its early childhood educator workforce, which is vital to the growth and development of children under 6. The province provides bursaries, training and development opportunities to ensure quality, and support the attraction and retention of the sector by offering:

1. Early Childhood Education On-Campus Field Placement Bursary Program: Provides support to ECE students who are required to attend an on-campus field placement. The Department of Education will provide $835 per week, up to $2,500 in total to eligible ECE students who are required to attend the on-campus field placement. During Quarter 4 of fiscal year 2020 to 2021 there were 4 applicants for the On-Campus Bursary Program. This was impacted by covid-19 as placements were not taking place during covid-19 closures

2. Early Childhood Education Trainee Bursary Program: Provides support to Trainee (Entry) Level caregivers who are taking required ECE courses to upgrade their certification level to Level 1. The Department of Education will provide $250 per successfully completed required post-secondary ECE certificate course to eligible Trainee (Entry) Level child care practitioners who are upgrading to Level 1 certification. During Quarter 4 of fiscal year 2020 to 2021 there were 42 applicants for the Trainee Bursary Program

3. Early Childhood Education Graduate Bursary Program: The purpose of the ECE Graduate Bursary Program is to improve recruitment and retention of qualified early childhood educators in regulated child care services by reducing student debt. The Department of Education will provide up to $7,500 to eligible applicants. During Quarter 4 of fiscal year 2020 to 2021 there were 6 applicants for the ECE Graduate Bursary Program

4. Early Learning and Child Care Supplement: The ELCC Supplement Program provides funding to eligible ECEs (child care centre and family child care), administrators (child care centre), and monitors (family child care agency). The intent of the initiative is to attract a greater number of qualified individuals to work in regulated child care settings. During Quarter 4 of fiscal year 2020 to 2021 there were 806 applicants for this supplement

Regulated child care options for Newfoundland and Labrador families

• Child care centres can operate either on a part-time (4 hours or less per day) or full-time (more than 4 hours per day) basis. Child care centres that do not meet the exemption requirements must be licensed before they can operate. Activities and arrangements that are not considered to be a child care service can be found in section 2(f) of the Child Care Act

• Family child care is a type of child care service that provides an activity or other arrangement of temporary care or supervision of a child in a child care service provider's home. Family child care can be individually licensed by the Department of Education or approved under the licence of a family child care agency

Mechanisms

All targets outlined in the priority areas below are subject to change based on upcoming provincial consultations and review, and may be modified over the course of the 2021 to 2026 Canada-wide ELCC Agreement, 2021 to 2025 ELCC Extension Agreement, and fiscal year 2021 to 2022 Workforce Agreement to better meet the needs of Newfoundland and Labrador families and children. Implementation timelines of these programs may vary.

1. Enhancements under the Operating Grant Program (OGP)

Using the already established OGP, which currently provides Newfoundland and Labrador families with access to $25 per day child care, regulated child care service providers (child care centres and family child care homes) who have opted in to the OGP will receive an increase to operational grant funding to support progress towards $10 per day child care. This funding will reduce costs for all families with children under 6 resulting in an average parent fee of $15 per day by January 2022 and $10 per day as early as January 2023.

Approximately 90% of regulated child care spaces currently participate in the OGP (including regulated child care centres and family child care homes). An investment of $38.25 million over 2 years will lower the fees for 5,498 existing regulated child care spaces to $10 per day. Participating child care services will receive an increase in funding through the OGP to fund the lowering of parent fees in accordance with the schedule outlined below.

Families accessing these spaces pay a maximum of $230 per month or $10 per day, per child for regular full-time care. Families with additional financial needs will be able to apply for Newfoundland and Labrador's existing Child Care Services Subsidy for additional support.

Participating child care services are funded quarterly and benefit from enhanced funding for operations.

Targets:

• by January 2022, parent fees for all spaces that are part of the OGP will be an average of $15 per day
• as early as January 2023, parent fees for all spaces that are part of the OGP will be an average of $10 per day

2. Child Care Services Subsidy (CCSS)

Using the already established CCSS Program, Newfoundland and Labrador families will be eligible for CCSS based on the family monthly net income and the number of children attending regulated child care services. A family (1 or 2 parent(s) or guardian(s)) are entitled to full child care subsidy if they meet the net income thresholds and number of children in the family who attend a regulated child care service.

When $10 child care is implemented the following scale will eliminate parental contributions and establish full subsidy for eligible families of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Previously, federal investments made under the 2017 to 2020 Action Plan increased the net family income threshold (after income testing) from $32,000 to $35,000, resulting in:

• families in receipt of a full child care subsidy saw the elimination of surcharges and received free child care when attending a child care service participating in the OGP
• moderate income families in receipt of a partial child care subsidy saw reduced monthly parental contributions

Target:

• at such time as $10 per day is reached, all eligible families (up to 130 families based on the chart above) attending a child care service participating in the OGP will be eligible for full CCSS, these families will see the elimination of parental contributions and will have access to full subsidy

1. Increase infant, toddler and preschool spaces in regulated child care

Infant, toddler and preschool spaces are limited across the province increasing demand for spaces. As of 2021, there are 5,498 regulated infant, toddler and preschool spaces. By working with municipalities, and not-for-profit organizations under the Child Care Capacity Program through work with the soon to be created Early Learning and Child Care Evaluation and Research Team, communities most in need of infant, toddler and preschool spaces will be identified.

Target:

• it is anticipated that by the end of 2022, Newfoundland and Labrador will aim to increase infant spaces by 98, toddler spaces by 332, and preschool spaces by 143
• it is anticipated that by the end of 2023 which includes 2022 targets, Newfoundland and Labrador will aim to increase infant spaces by 196, toddler spaces by 664 and preschool spaces by 285
• by March 31, 2026, Newfoundland and Labrador will have created:
  • 490 additional full-time equivalent infant
  • 1597 toddler
  • 703 preschool spaces

2. Implement pre-kindergarten

In the spring of 2019, the Department of Education engaged in public consultations to inform development of a guiding document and phased-in implementation plan for a junior kindergarten program for all 4-year-old children in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Pre-kindergarten will be a play-based early learning and child care program under the Child Care Act and regulations and would be available for children during the year prior to kindergarten. Newfoundland and Labrador will start rolling out a full-day, full-year, inclusive, and accessible pre-kindergarten program in the province in September 2022, with a goal of every 4 year old in the province having access to pre-kindergarten by September 2025, no matter where they live.

The pre-kindergarten programs will be governed by the Child Care Act, led by early childhood educators and housed in public schools, where space is available. These programs will follow the early learning framework, Navigating the Early Years. There is a school with primary grades within reach of every 4-year-old child in Newfoundland and Labrador, and many schools have capacity and low and/or declining enrollment, which would allow the space to accommodate pre-kindergarten programs. Delivering pre-kindergarten in schools would be especially important in communities where there are currently few early learning programs.

Pre-kindergarten programming will be full time and available year round (including during school breaks and the summer).

Consultations with stakeholders will occur to ensure that the program is designed in a manner that reflects the diverse needs of all children in the province. Consultations will be focused on ensuring that vulnerable children and children from diverse populations, including but not limited to children living in low income; Indigenous children; Black and other racialized children; children of newcomers to Canada, and official language minorities, have equitable access to regulated child care spaces, in proportion to their presence in the population.

The pre-kindergarten program will be regulated and operate as not-for-profit service and will be able to access all early learning and child care initiatives run by the province, including but not limited to, the Child Care Capacity Initiative, the Quality Enhancement Program, and the Child Care Inclusion Program.

Target:

• by March 31, 2023, Newfoundland and Labrador will create:
  • 500 full-time equivalent pre-kindergarten spaces for 4 year olds (to be delivered in public schools where there is space and capacity), with a particular focus to address the needs of families more in need, including rural and remote
• by March 31, 2026, Newfoundland and Labrador will create:
  • 3,105 additional full-time equivalent pre-kindergarten spaces for 4 year olds for children across Newfoundland and Labrador

1. Early Learning and Child Care Advisory Committee

Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to engaging key stakeholders and the public regarding early learning and child care initiatives. The Department meets with the Association of Early Childhood Educators and the Early Childhood Educators Human Resource Council of Newfoundland and Labrador regularly to gather feedback on early learning and child care issues.

Consultations will play a key role in the development of Newfoundland and Labrador's 2023 to 2026 Action Plan. To support the ongoing review of ELCC initiatives, and to assist in identifying sector needs that can be addressed in subsequent action plans, a new ELCC Advisory Committee will be established. Membership will represent a range of practitioners and experts in the area of early learning and child care from across the province, including: academia, leaders and social actors (ensuring representation from Indigenous and ethnically diverse groups), service providers and persons with experience in using early learning and child care services, including parents. Members will provide valuable advice and input to the Minister of Education on a wide range of early learning and child care issues, including implementation of the Canada-wide initiatives.

Target:

• establishment of a new ELCC Advisory Committee by March 31, 2023. ELCC Advisory Committee would provide advice to the Minister and the Department to ensure a high-quality and inclusive system by 2023

2. Newfoundland and Labrador's Early Childhood Learning Framework

To support high-quality child care, all regulated child care service providers have been offered a variety of professional learning opportunities to familiarize them with Newfoundland and Labrador's Navigating the Early Years: An Early Childhood Learning Framework (PDF format). These opportunities, offered via the Association of Early Childhood Educators Newfoundland and Labrador, include webinars, workshops, train-the-trainer opportunities and most recently professional learning communities to discuss the framework in more detail. A companion document specifically for child care services with exercises to stimulate reflective practice, is in development and will be released this year. The framework was specifically designed to support and promote the roles of early learning practitioners in the learning and development of children and to bring consistency and cohesion to their work. The framework goals for early childhood learning reflect:

• well-being and belonging
• communication
• play and exploration
• social contribution

As part of the legislative review, it is anticipated that the program design element of the licensing process for all regulated child care services will demonstrate how the program for the service will reflect the goals of the framework. The submitted program provides the basis for expectations of departmental staff in their various roles when visiting and monitoring the services. The framework will also form the basis for the new pre-kindergarten program planned as part of this initiative. There will be a 3-year process for implementation because licences are granted for a 3-year period. Each year, approximately 1/3 of the licence renewals will need to demonstrate the framework in the program submission. By the end of the third year, all child care services should have had to demonstrate the framework as part of the license renewal process.

Target:

• by March 31, 2023, the program design element of the licensing process for all regulated child care services will demonstrate how the program for the service will reflect the goals of the Navigating the Early Years: An Early Childhood Learning Framework. Further information regarding this requirement within the legislation will be included in the annual report

3. Certification growth

Newfoundland and Labrador believes that supporting the ECE workforce is critical to ensuring high-quality child care. Certification statistics in Newfoundland and Labrador clearly show that the higher the level of certification, the more likely a person is to renew their certification and to stay in the child care sector. The Child Care Regulations require those without a credential in early childhood education to be working towards at least a post-secondary 1-year certificate within a 5-year period. To support the professionalism of ECEs, its value and impact for families, federal funding will support the following.

ECE Diploma Program: The Department of Education will partner with post-secondary institutions to substantially increase seats available in both the online and daytime program. The specific institution(s) that will provide these programs will be determined after a consultation process.

An Accelerated Diploma Program (see Workplace Training Program below) will be considered upon consultation with post-secondary institutions and the ELCC Advisory Committee. The program will strive to develop professional early childhood educators who are trained to support vulnerable children and children from diverse populations, including but not limited to children living in low income; Indigenous children; Black and other racialized children; children of newcomers to Canada, and official language minorities.

Enhanced bursaries will be available to those who self-identify as being equity-seeking individuals. The enhanced bursaries will provide an additional financial amount to students who complete the program. Equity-seeking groups include but are not limited to the following:

• Indigenous
• Black and other racialized groups
• Francophone
• two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, trans, queer, plus (2SLGBTQ+)
• newcomer
• persons with exceptionalities and persons needing enhanced or individual supports

Targets:

• by March 31, 2022, Newfoundland and Labrador's Department of Education will have initiated a consultation process with select post secondary institutions to increase seats for both daytime and online certificate and diploma programs for early childhood educators
• by March 31, 2023, 150 additional seats will be available for both daytime and online certificate and diploma programs for early childhood educators
• by March 31, 2023, Newfoundland and Labrador will increase by at least 15% of early childhood educators providing regulated child care in the province who fully meet Newfoundland and Labrador's legislated post-secondary qualifications required to work in the ELCC sector
• by March 31, 2026, at least 60% of early childhood educators providing regulated child care in the province who fully meet Newfoundland and Labrador's legislated post-secondary qualifications required to work in the ELCC sector

Workplace Training Program Development and Implementation Plan: the Department of Education will initiate the development of a Workplace Training Program and a plan for implementation. The vision is to develop an accelerated program in which individuals currently working in the child care sector who are required to upgrade would attend classes 2 full days per week and work at a child care service the other 2 days. The practicum would be completed in the workplace. To apply for this program, the individual would have to be currently employed, and have a minimum of 1 year of full-time employment, in a regulated early learning and child care centre (infant, preschool, or school age), licensed or approved family child care home.

The program integrates the knowledge and experience of employed ECEs in providing quality child care in the community. The study practice would be based on:

• a child-centred focus
• play-based curriculum
• focus on inclusion and diversity
• Indigenous practices
• child development
• guidance techniques
• communication skills
• family relations
• professionalism

Target:

• by March 31, 2022, the Department of Education will have initiated a consultation process with select post secondary institutions, and the ELCC Advisory Committee, to discuss the introduction of an Accelerated Diploma Program for Early Childhood Educators
• by March 31, 2023, the Workplace Training Program and Implementation Plan will be developed

4. Training and professional development grants and bursaries

Newfoundland and Labrador's Child Care Regulations require those without a credential in early childhood education to be working towards at least a post-secondary 1-year certificate within a 5-year period. To support this goal, the Province offers different types of bursaries for early childhood educators to encourage upskilling, recruitment and retention in the regulated child care sector (that is, trainee bursary, on-campus field placement bursary, graduate bursary program). Enhancements of these bursaries under this Agreement will attract early childhood educators to upgrade more quickly and to continue working in the regulated child care sector in the Province.

As Newfoundland and Labrador focuses on the development of a diverse and inclusive workforce, in collaboration with the ELCC advisory committee, the development of a bursary program to support equity seeking populations will be created by the end of 2022.

Targets:

• by March 31, 2023, Newfoundland and Labrador commit to supporting the child care workforce through:
  • ECE Graduate Bursary Program: up to 25 eligible graduates of an ECE Diploma program will be provided with $7,500 for the purpose of reducing student debt and offsetting costs of program completion. This bursary requires a 3-year return in service in the regulated early learning and child care sector
  • ECE Trainee Bursary Program: up to 70 eligible ECEs with $250 per successfully completed post-secondary ECE certificate course to Trainee (Entry) Level child care practitioners who are upgrading to Level 1 certification
  • ECE On-Campus Field Placement Bursary Program: up to 10 eligible ECEs will receive $835 per week, up to $2500 in total who are required to attend an on-campus field placement
  • professional development training: up to 1,800 ECEs (including 1,500 new ECEs) to obtain professional development training on culturally responsive practice, equity, inclusion in early learning and child care, and outdoor play
  • development of a bursary to support equity seeking populations: by the end of 2022, the Department of Education will have initiated a consultation process with ELCC Advisory Committee, to discuss the introduction of an additional bursary that supports early childhood educators that self-identify as equity seeking individuals
  • survey: to support the inclusion of equity-seeking groups, a survey of awareness of bursaries to be issued to regulated child care services, programs, and colleges will be developed by 2023

5. ECE wage grid

Newfoundland and Labrador currently requires a minimum wage within the OGP for ECEs and administrators of child care centres. This Agreement includes development and implementation of a wage grid that reflects the education, training, and years of work experience for ECEs at each level. The wage grid should also reflect the important role that ECEs play in the development of young children within the province. In order to create a wage grid that is reflective of the compensation level that is deserving of an ECE at each level of certification, Newfoundland and Labrador will contract a consultant to conduct an early childhood educator labour force adjustment analysis specific to the compensation of ECEs in licensed child care centres. The consultant will develop compensation standards for entry and ongoing wages and benefits for professional responsibilities, including a minimum wage grid and pay scales for all levels (determined through the scope of practice, education requirements, standards and competencies), using living wage and self-sufficiency standards as a minimum. Consideration will be given to strategies and incentives tied to advanced practitioner programs, professional development, and mentoring.

Targets:

• by April 1, 2022, Newfoundland and Labrador will have contracted a consultant to develop compensation standards for the province
• by March 31, 2023, the consultant will have designed a new minimum wage grid for all ECEs working in regulated child care settings. Newfoundland and Labrador will have approved the wage grid and have determined a plan for implementation of the wage grid through the OGP
• by April 1, 2023, Newfoundland and Labrador will ensure that all ECEs working in regulated child care services participating in the Operating Grant in Newfoundland and Labrador are receiving at least the compensation identified in the new wage grid

6. Expansion of the Quality Enhancement Program

The Quality Enhancement Program (ELCC-QEP) offers dedicated regional child care quality consultants who work with and provide consultation to all child care services who wish to participate in order to increase quality in their facilities. Additionally, distributed through the ELCC-QEP, providers have access to the Quality Enhancement Grant, which provides additional resources to enhance quality.

Target:

• increase by 15% the number of regulated child care services applying for this grant. By 2023, approximately 15 centres and 525 spaces and 5 family child care homes and 25 spaces would have access to quality consultants

1. Promotion and continued enhancement of the Child Care Capacity Initiative

A priority of the Canada-wide system is to ensure that all families have access to quality child care, including families more in need such as lower-income families, Indigenous families, lone-parent families, and families in underserved communities, including Black and racialized families; families of children with exceptionalities and children needing enhanced or individual supports; and families with caregivers who are working non-standard hours. The CCCI provides municipalities or not-for-profit providers with access to additional funding to expand regulated child care spaces and services for underserviced communities, with a focus on rural communities, linguistic minority communities, and Indigenous communities.

Targets:

• by March 2023, Newfoundland and Labrador will aim to create:
  • up to 150 additional spaces for rural communities
  • 30 additional spaces for linguistic minority communities
  • 30 additional spaces for Indigenous communities
  • 30 additional child care services/spaces recognizing the goals of the Inclusion Program. Anticipated space target to be validated through consultations
• by March 2024, Newfoundland and Labrador will aim to create:
  • 310 additional spaces for rural communities
  • 65 additional spaces for linguistic minority communities
  • 65 additional spaces for Indigenous communities
  • 65 additional child care services/spaces recognizing the goals of the Inclusion Program. Anticipated space target to be validated through consultations
• by March 2025, Newfoundland and Labrador will aim to create:
  • 770 additional spaces for rural communities
  • 165 additional spaces for linguistic minority communities
  • 165 additional spaces for Indigenous communities
  • 130 additional child care services/spaces recognizing the goals of the Inclusion Program. Anticipated space target to be validated through consultations

2. Expansion of the Child Care Inclusion Program

The CCIP provides assistance to regulated child care services to ensure all children, including children needing enhanced or individual supports (diagnosed or undiagnosed) can participate to their fullest potential in a regular child care service. The current CCIP is a voluntary service available to all regulated child care services. Inclusion supports include:

• consultative support: guidance and information to assist eligible child care services identify and access resources to plan and ensure all children can participate to their fullest potential in a regular child care service program. Where approved, consultative support can be provided through face-to-face meetings and other methods of communication
  • as part of the expansion of the CCIP via Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care, a one-time needs assessment will be completed for all regulated child care services. This assessment will identify barriers to inclusion within child care services and opportunities for improvement to inclusion, which in turn will create an opportunity for all children with varying needs and abilities to access child care
• grants: financial resources to assist eligible child care services in ensuring all children can participate to their fullest potential in a regular child care service program. Where approved, the following financial supports are available within the CCIP:
  • replacement staff: financial support to assist with the cost of a child care service replacing a caregiver who is participating in a multi-disciplinary meeting or professional learning opportunity. This may also include some associated travel (pre-approval required)
  • professional learning: financial support to assist with the cost of caregivers accessing professional learning relevant to the needs of the home/homeroom. It may include professional learning fees and some associated travel (pre-approval required)
  • funded space: financial support to assist with cost of a child care service keeping up to 2 vacant spaces empty to enhance the caregiver to child ratio in the impacted home or homeroom
  • staffing grant: financial support to assist with the cost of wages and benefits for an additional caregiver to be added to the team in the impacted home or homeroom to enhance the caregiver to child ratio
  • infrastructure grant: as part of the expansion of the CCIP, financial support to assist in creating accessible child care centres through funding of, for example, accessibility ramps, washrooms, doorways, will be available

Targets:

• by March 31, 2023, completion of a one-time needs assessment to determine barriers and opportunities for improvement
• by March 31, 2023, 75 additional staff in regulated child care services will have received training to support children with enhanced needs
• by March 31, 2023, an infrastructure component will be developed and implemented under the child care inclusion program with federal funding support
• by March 2024, 15 centres or service will have received infrastructure grant funding to support the creation of more accessible child care services or centres. By fiscal year 2025 to 2026, all children with exceptionalities and those requiring enhanced or individual supports who are participating in a regulated child care service will have access to the CCIP

3. Continue collaborative work with Indigenous partners and communities

To support Indigenous Governments and organizations in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Department of Education will continue to work in collaboration with Indigenous partners and communities, as well as other federal and provincial partners, in the development of a plan which will strive to ensure Indigenous children have access to affordable, high-quality and culturally responsive ELCC services that recognize and celebrate the unique traditions and cultures of Indigenous communities, cultures and traditions in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Targets:

• by March 31, 2023, a survey co-developed and shared in collaboration with Indigenous Governments and organizations to identify the diverse and varied community child care needs
• by 2024, consultations will be conducted for the co-development of the child care plan to ensure Indigenous children have access to affordable, high-quality and culturally responsive ELCC services
• by 2025, a co-developed plan recognizing the various needs of diverse Indigenous communities in Newfoundland and Labrador will be completed

1. Contract consultant to develop a strategic plan for the not-for-profit sector

Newfoundland and Labrador will hire a consultant to conduct an in-depth analysis of the for-profit and not-for-profit/public early learning and child care sectors within the province. The consultant will develop a strategic plan that will guide the province to ensure that not-for-profit spaces are exclusively created as part of the mandate of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, while ensuring that the child care sector remains stabilized as the demand for spaces increases with the implementation of the Canada-wide child care system. Consultations with the for-profit and not-for-profit sector will be integral to developing a plan to transition the Province towards a predominantly not-for-profit sector to support high-quality early learning and child care. Post-consultations with the sector and relevant stakeholders, the consultant will develop a plan to transition for-profit spaces into not-for-profit spaces that recognizes the child care space needs of the province. The consultant will work in partnership with the Operations team of the Early Learning and Child Care Division (see Priority 6: Implementation Supports and Reporting) to conduct outreach to local not-for-profit organizations and municipalities to develop plans to support the creation of not-for-profit and public child care spaces in communities throughout the province.

Target:

• by March 31, 2023, a plan to encourage growth in not-for-profit and public early learning and child care spaces will be completed as part of the mandate of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement

1. Policy Development and Regional Operations Team expansion

Policy Development and Regional Operations Team will drive a new, more strategic and integrated approach to work towards a Canadian-wide child care system and ensure better policy coordination. This team will be responsible for:

• developing the ongoing selection process for the Early Learning and Child Care Advisory Committee. Membership would be representative of parents, practitioners, experts, advocates, academics, Indigenous and ethnically diverse groups
• launching the Early Learning and Child Care Advisory Committee with a mandate to engage key stakeholders and the public on ELCC initiatives to identify sector needs
• developing standards of practice, promote information-sharing across jurisdictions, and to begin work on the development of a Canada-wide ELCC system
• launching an Inclusive and Culturally Responsive Child Care Framework to support children and families with enhanced support needs
• facilitating changes to the CCSS program and eligible recipients
• participating in the development of a plan to grow the not-for-profit ELCC sector in Newfoundland and Labrador
• Regional Programs and Operations will be responsible for sound program management and reduce administrative burden for recipients of early learning and child care funding

2. Early Learning and Child Care Evaluation and Research Team

The Early Learning and Child Care Evaluation and Research team will be a one-stop-shop for early learning and child care data in the province. To support the implementation of the Canada-wide system, the Early Learning and Child Care Evaluation and Research team will bolster internal capacity of the Early Learning and Child Care Division by undertaking quantitative analysis in support of policy development, leading ELCC data, research and evaluation and ensure dedicated access to external auditing services. In fiscal year 2021 to 2022 and fiscal year 2022 to 2023, this team will be responsible for:

• working with the Office of the Chief Information Officer to determine and create a data system to improve ELCC data capture in the province
• an evaluation of the current data collection system (ISM) to determine feasibility in collecting the following data:
  • information on individual children or families
  • average daily parental out-of-pocket fee for regulated child care spaces at the end of each fiscal year
  • number of children aged under age 6 and 6 to 12 years receiving fee subsidies, broken down by families receiving partial and full subsidies
  • number of net new spaces created during the fiscal year, broken down by age groups of child and type of setting
  • number of children on waiting lists to access regulated ELCC spaces
  • number and percentage of staff working in regulated child care programs in who fully meet the certification/educational requirements
  • wages of the early childhood workforce according to the categories of certification, including any wage enhancements, top-ups and/or supplement
  • annual public expenditure on training and professional development of the early childhood workforce
  • number of inclusive spaces created/converted, broken down by age group of child and type of setting
  • number and proportion of children under age 6 and 6 to 12 years in flexible regulated ELCC arrangements
  • number of children under age 6 and 6 to 12 years with exceptionalities/varying abilities that are in regulated ELCC spaces
  • number or proportion of child care service providers who provide services that are adapted to the needs of children with exceptionalities or special needs
  • number of Indigenous children under age 6 years in regulated ELCC spaces, where possible broken down by distinction (that is, First Nation, Metis, Inuit)
  • number of racialized Canadian children, including Black Canadian children under age 6 in regulated ELCC spaces
• an evaluation of existing child care programs via:
  • input from program stakeholders to help develop performance measurements for increased accountability
  • identifying measurements of perceived need to:
    • identify system gaps
    • inform program and policy changes
  • measurements of perceived impacts on identified and future targets
• applied research to:
  • collect and report national and international data to inform program and policy change
  • review ELCC data and identify provincial gaps for future program development and policy change
• undertake an annual census/survey of child care service providers and other participants in the sector in Newfoundland and Labrador to collect information. Data that will be gathered through the census/survey will include:
  • number of children enrolled in centres
  • capacity (number of spaces)
  • number of ECEs
  • ECE wages and qualifications
  • fees charged to parents
  • subsidies
  • number of Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Metis) child care spaces supported
  • number of inclusive spaces
• contracting external auditing services to meeting the auditing reporting requirements of the bilateral agreements
• data sharing with Canada and timely reporting as outlined under section 5.2 of the Agreement

Targets:

• by March 31, 2022, Newfoundland and Labrador will expand the Early Learning and Child Care Division to include an Evaluation and Research team
• by March 31, 2022, Newfoundland and Labrador will have a plan in place to supply an information technology data system to capture ELCC data
• by March 31, 2023, Newfoundland and Labrador will implement the Information technology data system to capture ELCC data
• by March 31, 2022, Newfoundland and Labrador will have developed an annual census/survey of child care service providers and other participants in the sector
• by March 31, 2023, Newfoundland and Labrador will have consistent ELCC baseline data, including:
  • number of children enrolled
  • capacity (number of spaces)
  • number of ECEs
  • ECE wages and qualifications
  • fee charged to parents
  • subsidies
  • number of First Nations, Inuit or Metis child care spaces supported
  • number of inclusive spaces

A Canada-wide child care system requires significant expansion of data and reporting to ensure a system that is accessible, affordable, and inclusive for all Canadian families, including families in Newfoundland and Labrador. The table below provides an outline of data that will be captured with federal funds. This data collection will help monitor progress, identify gaps in the system and inform policy development to support Canada-wide child care vision.

The Early Learning and Child Care Evaluation and Research Team commits to monitoring and reporting on the following Canada-wide ELCC Reporting Indicators.

*The subsidy rate is the maximum amount paid by the provincial/ territorial government to the service to cover all or part of the parent fee.

Wage grid

The Newfoundland and Labrador wage grid will be developed by the federally funded consultant as elaborated earlier in action plan.