Backgrounder: CANADA–NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE AGREEMENT

On June 12, 2017, Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care signed a Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework. This is a significant milestone in which governments agree to work together to address some of the key early learning and child care issues across the country.

Governments will work towards achieving the shared long-term vision of the Framework where all children across Canada can experience the enriching environment of quality early learning and child care. They have committed to increase the quality, accessibility, affordability, flexibility and inclusivity of early learning and child care with consideration for families that need child care the most.

The implementation of this framework, and a separate Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework to be co-developed with Indigenous peoples, is supported by federal investments announced in Budgets 2016 and 2017 totalling $7.5 billion over 11 years. Through bilateral agreements, the Government of Canada will provide provinces and territories with $1.2 billion over three years to address unique early learning and child care needs and allocate funding for each jurisdiction.

The Governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador have signed an early learning and child care bilateral agreement. Through this bilateral agreement, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador will receive just over $22 million over three years to strengthen its early learning and child care system through innovative approaches, subsidies, grants, bursaries and professional learning opportunities.

The focus will be on the following key areas:

·         enhancing the Operating Grant Program for child care centres and developing an operating grant component for Family Child Care to address affordability challenges in rural and remote community settings;

·         enhancing the Child Care Capacity Initiative funding and introducing a family child care capacity component of the Child Care Capacity Initiative to address unique accessibility challenges of early learning and child care in Newfoundland and Labrador, especially in rural, and remote communities where a child care centre may not be viable;

·         enhancing and increasing eligibility levels of the Child Care Services Subsidy program;

·         enhancing bursaries, grants and access to professional learning for early childhood educators;

·         adding consultative and financial quality improvement supports to regulated child care services; and

·         introducing a Capital Renovation Grant Program for Licensed Child Care Centres.

By the end of the three-year agreement, this funding will:

·         reduce child care costs for low and moderate income families and support the affordability of child care for all families in Newfoundland and Labrador;

·         increase the number of families eligible for full and partial subsidies;

·         increase the number of regulated child care services particularly in underserviced areas, with a focus on rural communities, linguistic minority communities, and Indigenous communities;

·         enhance incentives to increase Early Childhood Education qualifications, thereby influencing the quality of the child care children receive in the province;

·         make available a one-year Capital Renovation Grant program; and

·         offer a Quality Enhancement Grant available to child care services participating in the Operating Grant Program to boost quality.