The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services:

Recognizing National Child Day 2013

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this Honourable House to recognize National Child Day, which takes place annually on November 20. On National Child Day we commemorate two historic events for children: the adoption of the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.

Earlier today, I had the pleasure of visiting Memorial University’s Childcare Centre for story time, as well as participating in a play group hosted by Family and Child Care Connections in St. John’s. Family and Child Care Connections is a community-based, non-profit early learning family resource centre and family child care agency that provides programs and services designed to support children from birth to six years of age, their families, and the child care community.

During story time and the play group, Mr. Speaker, I was able to interact with the young children and their parents, as well as early childhood educators and other staff of the centres. The highlight of my visit to mark National Child Day was reading a story to the energetic, but attentive groups of children.

The Provincial Government recognizes that children and youth are truly our most valuable resource; therefore, in Budget 2013: A Sound Plan, A Secure Future, our government allocated an investment of $31.1 million in 2013-14 for child care in Newfoundland and Labrador. With this investment we are continuing to focus on the implementation of Caring For Our Future: Provincial Strategy for Quality, Sufficient and Affordable Child Care in Newfoundland and Labrador.

With the many initiatives of Caring For Our Future, we will continue to see growth in regulated child care services and I am delighted to say we are well on our way. We are very excited about the direction that child care is taking in our province. Currently, we have 7,787 regulated child care spaces throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, which is almost a 70 per cent increase in the total number of regulated child care spaces in our province since 2003.

Our government’s commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of all children and youth in Newfoundland and Labrador remains at the forefront and I ask all members of this Honourable House to join me in marking National Child Day.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

2013 11 20                                         2:25 p.m.