NLIS 2
May 24, 2006
(Health and Community Services)
Government unveils Early
Learning and Child Care Plan
In keeping with government�s commitment
to ensure quality, affordable and accessible child care, Health and
Community Services Minister Tom Osborne today released government�s new
plan to enhance early learning and child care services in the province.
The plan is funded through a bilateral agreement-in-principle signed by
the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
in May 2005.
"Government is committed to providing
quality early learning and child care in our province and we are pleased
to enhance the fundamental areas of early learning," said Minister
Osborne. "Through this initiative, our government will make child care
services more affordable for families, improve recruitment and retention
of individuals working in the child care sector, create additional
capacity in the system with a focus on rural areas, and enhance quality
developmental opportunities and inclusion of children with special
needs."
The recent change in the federal
government has brought about a new approach to early learning and child
care funding. This includes a commitment to provide the first two years
of funding outlined in the Agreement in Principle to the province to
support regulated child care initiatives, for a total investment of
$21.6 million.
Government has consulted with key
stakeholders who have indicated that the key issues for this province
include making child care more affordable for families; supporting
training and other measures to attract more people to the field of child
care; increasing the number of spaces in rural and underserviced areas;
supporting the inclusion of children with special needs; and, improving
quality and developmental opportunities for children. The on-going plan
is designed to support both one-time and sustainable initiatives in each
of these areas.
Specifically, government will enhance
early learning and child care through the following initiatives:
Affordability
Beginning in June 2006, government
will provide 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.
Recruitment and Retention
In an effort to stabilize the
sector, effective immediately and retroactive to April 1, 2006,
Government will:
Implement changes to the current Educational Supplement
Program by providing an income enhancement for child care
providers earning less than $25,000 annually, with a phase-out
rate for eligibility up to approximately $35,000, benefiting
approximately 350 child care providers.
Extend eligibility for the existing Educational Supplement
Program to include family child care providers who have Level I
or higher family child care certification, benefiting
approximately 25 family child care providers.
Provide entry-level providers, who are upgrading their
educational qualifications, $500 per year, benefiting
approximately 50 child care providers.
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
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
In recognition of the relationship
between quality child care and improved developmental outcomes for
children, government will provide professional development and
training for child care providers and other stakeholders in areas
such as quality enhancement and playground safety and inspection.
This is expected to be implemented in fall 2006.
In addition, government will provide
short-term support for cultural and linguistic needs, such as
translation and culturally appropriate resources and program
enhancements.
Inclusion
In an effort to provide increased
support for children with special needs, government will provide an
additional $100,000 per year to enhance staffing in child care
services to support inclusion of children with special needs. In
addition, government will provide support for a provincial
conference on inclusion during 2006-07.
Media contact: Tansy Mundon,
Communications, (709) 729-1377, 685-1741, tansymundon@gov.nl.ca
2006 05 24
10:30 a.m. |