Executive Council
Education and Early Childhood Development
September 2, 2015

Enhancing Child Care Services for Families and Communities

Provincial Government Launches Early Learning and Child Care Directory

Families with young children now have the opportunity to easily access information on regulated child care services and family resource centres located throughout Newfoundland and Labrador using an online interactive database. The new Early Learning and Child Care Directory was launched today and can be viewed at childcare.gov.nl.ca.

"As we continue to implement the 10-year child care strategy, Caring For Our Future, our government is making significant progress towards enhancing the quality, sufficiency and affordability of the province's child care system. We are pleased to launch the new Early Learning and Child Care Directory, a key initiative under the strategy. This user-friendly tool will assist families with identifying regulated child care services in their community."
- The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

The new Early Learning and Child Care Directory is a searchable online database and interactive map that helps parents identify regulated child care centres, family child care as well as family resource centres in their area. Regulated child care service providers may also publicly post any vacancies in their service using the directory's Child Care Availability page.

"We appreciate that finding child care is an important decision that parents make and attracts them to a particular community. One of the key action items under the Families Action Plan in the Population Growth Strategy is to identify where regulated child care services are needed. The directory will help determine regulated child care and family resource centre needs throughout Newfoundland and Labrador and in turn, support families and develop our growing communities."
- The Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development

The directory also includes information about a child care centre such as its contact information, age range of children and total number of spaces as well as any violation orders that may have been issued to a particular centre. Further details regarding the key features of the new Early Learning and Child Care Directory are outlined in the backgrounder below.

"I feel that the new Early Learning and Child Care Directory will be a valuable resource for parents. From my own personal experience, being new to a region and searching for child care spaces, I found it challenging to get a full picture of what options were available close to where I live. Finding the right place for your children is extremely important. The directory will be a benefit to parents and will aid them in making this very critical choice."
- Angela Forward, Parent and Board Member, Conception Bay Family Resource Program

The Provincial Government launched a 10-year Child Care Strategy, Caring For Our Future, in 2012-13 focused on quality, sufficiency and affordability of child care. Budget 2015 allocated $45.7 million to continue the implementation of the strategy, representing a $3.2 million increase over last year and the third consecutive year of funding increases.

QUICK FACTS

• The Provincial Government is launching a new Early Learning and Child Care Directory, a key initiative under the 10-year child care strategy, Caring For Our Future.
• The Early Learning and Child Care Directory is a searchable online database and interactive map that helps parents identify regulated child care centres, family child care as well as family resource centres in their area. Regulated child care service providers may also post any vacancies in their service using the directory's Child Care Availability page.
• Key features of the new directory include the location of child care centres, as well as the child care centres' contact information, age range and total number of spaces, as well as any violation orders that may have been issued to a particular centre.
• The directory will help determine regulated child care and family resource centre needs throughout Newfoundland and Labrador and in turn, support families and develop our growing communities.
• The Early Learning and Child Care Directory is a key resource to help achieve the objectives of the Population Growth Strategy for Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly key actions under the Families Action Plan. For more information, visit //homeforgoodnl.ca/ .

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BACKGROUNDER
Key Features of New Early Learning and Child Care Directory

As an initiative of the 10-year child care strategy, Caring For Our Future, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has launched the Early Learning and Child Care Directory.

This new, searchable online tool features an interactive map that will pinpoint the location of the province's regulated child care centres, as well as family resource centres and their satellite locations. For family child care, the directory will include information about how many regulated family child care homes are in a neighbourhood or community. Due to privacy concerns, the contact information and location of a family child care home will not be published on the directory. Additional information about a family child care home can be obtained by contacting the family child care agency, Family and Child Care Connections, or any of the regional offices of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. This contact information is supplied on the directory.

Other key features of the new Early Learning and Child Care Directory include:

• Search Options: A user can search for regulated child care centres, regulated family child care and family resource centres on or near a route such as to and from a user's place of work. The user also has the option to search according to community, or age of the child. childcare.gov.nl.ca/public/ccr/search.
• New Child Care Centres: Any new child care centres that are licensed will be identified by a green pin and will appear as "new" for 90 days making it easier for parents to identify new resources in or near their community.
• Violation Orders: Violations that have occurred in child care centres within 90 days will be posted under the "Current Violations" section of the Early Learning and Child Care Directory. A user can also visit a particular child care centre's information page and see a list of historical violations for up to three years, beginning from today's launch. For family child care, parents can inquire about notices of corrective action by contacting the family child care agency, Family and Child Care Connections or our regional offices. This contact information available on the site. childcare.gov.nl.ca/public/ccr/centerswithviolations.
• Shortlist: The shortlist is a way to temporarily bookmark any child care centres in which a user may be interested during a search session. childcare.gov.nl.ca/public/ccr/favorite.
• Child Care Availability: Child care centres and family child care homes may post their space availability to the directory's virtual bulletin board for the general public to see. childcare.gov.nl.ca/public/ccr/familybulletin.

2015 09 02                              11:20 a.m.