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Government Committed to Enhancing Child Care Services in the Province The Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Health and Community Services, today corrected inaccuracies in an Opposition news release issued on Monday regarding child care in the province. "Our government has demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing child care in our province. Our new Early Learning and Child Care Plan, released in May, is working to improve recruitment and retention, build capacity and provide increased affordability," said Minister Osborne. "We are already seeing success with this new plan � almost 500 new spaces have been created and 500 new subsidies have been provided for children in the last year. In addition, our educational supplement and income enhancements are helping to attract and retain people to the field and improving the income for those currently employed in the child care sector. Approximately 400 people will benefit from the educational supplement and its enhancements. We are also increasing access to training at College of the North Atlantic, and are providing 50 bursaries annually for students attending post-secondary early learning and child care programs." The minister clarified information regarding how the $21 million in child care funding will be spent. "Despite statements otherwise, no provincial positions were hired as a result of funding received by the federal government for early learning and child care," said Minister Osborne. "Funding has been allocated to hire two financial assistance officers at the regional level to process the increased number of applications for the Child Care Subsidy Program. The $21 million is being directed to the five priority areas announced in government�s early learning and child care plan: affordability ($1.86 million annually); recruitment and retention ($2.71 million annually); capacity ($500,000); quality and development ($245,000), and inclusion ($180,000). The minister added that this is year one of a long term plan to improve early learning and childcare in the province. "This plan, which we are investing $5.5 million annually to improve early learning and child care, is still in its early days. While we are already seeing improvements in the sector, we will continue to see progress in the coming years," said Minister Osborne. "The plan was widely endorsed by stakeholders following its release in May and our government is extremely proud of continued improvements to early learning and childcare in our province." The minister provided further detail regarding government�s standards for curriculum in child care centres. The standards for early childhood programs in Newfoundland and Labrador provide guidance for child care licensees and operators, with the emphasis on programs that encourage and promote all areas of a child�s development. The standards for early childhood programs in this province are based upon well researched and well recognized principles of child development. "Child care centres employ well trained staff and provide engaging materials and well planned activities to enrich a child�s learning. Children can engage in sand and water play, dramatic play, story telling, science exploration and gross motor activities that allow them to participate in hands-on activities with other children," said Minister Osborne. "Child care settings are supportive, creative, encouraging learning environments that provide children with the tools they need to become creative, independent individuals who hold a positive attitude towards learning as they move from a child care setting to a school environment. Minister Osborne is meeting with representatives of PACAL, the association representing private childcare operators in the province, this afternoon to discuss specific concerns regarding the monitoring of child care centres. BACKGROUNDER Government released a new plan to enhance early learning and child care services in the province in May 2006. The plan is funded through a bilateral agreement-in-principle signed by the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Approximately $5.5 million will be invested annually to support the plan. Affordability ($1.86 million annually) In June 2006, government began providing more support for lower and middle income families by increasing the eligibility threshold for a full child care subsidy from $20,280 to $25,000 (net income), benefiting up to an additional 250 families. For those earning higher than $25,000, a sliding scale will be used to determine the amount a family will pay. The daily rates of subsidy fees for spaces provided to child care service licensees on behalf of families will be increased from $30.00 to $35.00 for infants; $21.25 to $24.00 for preschool age children; and $9.50 to $11 for school age children. Operators are now receiving 15 per cent more, on average, for children in receipt of subsidies. From September 2005 to September 2006, an additional 463 families received subsidies. The total number of subsidies in September 2006 was 1,730. Recruitment and Retention: ($2.71 million annually) In an effort to stabilize the sector and retroactive to April 1, 2006, Government began to:
In addition, government will provide one-time funding of $1.7 million to the College of the North Atlantic to enhance their Early Childhood Education Program and provide 50 students per year with training bursaries of $5,000 from 2006 until 2009. Government will develop a Recruitment and Retention Strategy through the Labour Market Development Agreement. Capacity ($500,000 annually) Government will support access to regulated child care in all areas of the province through the establishment of licensed child care services in rural communities based on need, interest and capacity. This will result in a potential 16 new sites and 200 new child care spaces and will build on existing programs such as family resource programs, schools and other community organizations. Initial work on this initiative will be undertaken this summer with potential for start up in late fall 2006. Quality and Developmental ($245,000 annually) Government is providing professional development and training for child care providers and other stakeholders in areas of quality programming and playground safety. Playground safety training occurred this summer. Inclusion ($180,000 annually)
-30- Media contact:Tansy Mundon 2006 12 06
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