Minister Hawkins Announces Additional Child Care Support for Happy Valley-Goose Bay Families

  • Education and Early Childhood Development

November 16, 2018

The Honourable Al Hawkins, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, today announced the addition of 30 affordable spaces for after school programs in Happy Valley-Goose Bay under the Child Care Capacity Initiative and phase two construction of the new Pumpkin House Child Care Centre. Minister Hawkins was joined at the announcement by the Honourable Perry Trimper, MHA for Lake Melville and Randy Edmunds, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier and MHA for Torngat Mountains.

In support of these advancements, a total of $905,062 has now been provided to the Early Childhood Development Association (ECDA), which includes $881,062 for a 93-space child care centre, encompassing spaces for toddler, preschool and afterschool children.

The new child care centre, scheduled to open in spring 2019, will mean greater child care capacity in the community and be fully accessible. Upon project completion, the total potential licensed child care program capacity will be 123 spaces.

Information regarding province-wide investments and advancements in early childhood development can be found in the backgrounder below.

Supporting education and early childhood development delivers on commitments in The Way Forward to strengthen the province’s economic foundation and deliver better services and better outcomes for residents. The Way Forward outlines all actions the Provincial Government is taking to achieve a strong, diversified province with a high standard of living, and can be viewed at www.thewayforward.gov.nl.ca

Quotes
“Our investments in early childhood learning and affordable child spaces are helping families across our province and ensuring the best quality education system for our children. This includes supporting opportunities to foster early learning and child development at a very early age through regulated child care services throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Al Hawkins
Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development

“I am thrilled to see this new child care centre being built in Happy Valley – Goose Bay. With more than 120 child care spaces available for toddler, preschool and afterschool programs, many families in Happy Valley Goose Bay, will now have access to high-quality, affordable child care.”
Honourable Perry Trimper
MHA for Lake Melville

“Today’s announcement of 30 additional spaces for after school programs in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and the commencement of phase two of the construction for the new Pumpkin House Child Care Centre is an exciting moment for our government and for Labrador. Access to quality child care is a necessity in our province and I am proud to see that our government is committed to supporting the needs of quality childcare in the region.”
Randy Edmunds
MHA, Torngat Mountains

“On behalf of ECDA, I would like to express our appreciation to the Department of Early Education and Childhood Development for their continued support. The commitment made to date in advancing the ECDA’s new child care centre reflects a true partnership between the provincial government and community stakeholders in leveraging limited resources to address community child care needs.”
Colin O’Brien
Vice President, Early Childhood Development Association

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Learn more
Education Action Plan

Canada – Newfoundland and Labrador Early Learning and Child Care Agreement

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Media contacts
Tina Coffey
Education and Early Childhood Development
709-729-1906, 728-8650
tcoffey@gov.nl.ca

Bonnie Learning
Constituency Assistant to Perry Trimper, MHA for Lake Melville
709-896-7975
bonnielearning@gov.nl.ca

Erin Sulley
Government Members Office
709-729-5036
erinsulley@gov.nl.ca

Colin O’Brien
Early Childhood Development Association
709-896-1833
colin.obrien@canada.ca

BACKGROUNDER
Investments in Early Childhood Development

In addition to the more than $54 million that the Provincial Government invests annually in early childhood development, the three-year investment of $22 million through the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Early Learning and Child Care Agreement will result in 540 more affordable spaces in child care centres and family child care homes.

Guided by the Provincial Government’s Education Action Plan and the Bilateral Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, several actions have been undertaken to improve access to affordable child care. These include:

  • Reduction in child care costs for low and moderate income families and greater support for the affordability of child care;
  • Increases in the number of families eligible for full and partial subsidies;
  • Increases in the number of affordable, regulated child care spaces particularly in rural communities, linguistic minority communities, and Indigenous communities; and
  • Enhanced incentives to increase Early Childhood Education qualifications.
2018 11 16 1:05 pm