Excerpt: "The province will fund an extra 25 child-care sites, raising its five-year commitment under Family Choices to 54 new centres, Premier Greg Selinger announced today."
Child Care Tax Credit allows for a maximum amount of $7,000 per year to be claimed for children up to seven years of age, for a maximum credit of $539, and $4,000 per year for children aged seven to 16, for a maximum credit of $308.
Early Childhood Learning: $1.3 million, part of a total commitment of $4.8 million over three years, to begin implementation of the Provincial Government's Early Childhood Learning Strategy, Learning from the Start. Implementation begins with initiatives that focus on social and early language development opportunities from birth to age three, and with providing parents with the information and resources to help them give their children the right start – right from the start. Resources will include brochures, resource kits, a website and other tools.
Family Child Care Initiative that builds on the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Capacity Initiative is a two-year pilot project to develop 400 new spaces in regulated family child care homes over two years. The initiative is targeting a shortage of regulated spaces in rural communities and for children under the age of two.
SchoolsPlus pilot is expanded to all eight school boards. Family resource centres, child care and youth health centres will be located within select schools at all school boards.
Budget announced $1.4 million to fund an increased number of early learning and child care spaces and an additional $800,000 for the Daycare Assistance Program (child care fee subsidy).
Budget announced additional $1.3 million for 250 child care subsidies.
Excerpt: "An Early Childhood Education Unit within Manitoba Education will invest $300,000 in early-childhood development to support families and communities as they prepare young children for success and investing $300,000 to increase the connection between early-childhood education and the formal kindergarten to Grade 12 education system. The province will also invest $300,000 in early-childhood development to support families and communities as they prepare young children for success when they start school. The new unit will monitor and disseminate research respecting early childhood development, connect research to practice in terms of using Early Development Instrument (EDI) data."
Excerpt: "Education announces capital funding to include child care space in school buildings and/or on school property adjacent to schools. Capital funding for 15 school-based sites."
Access to child care and early learning emphasized in Throne Speech.
Ministerial Advisory Committee on Early Learning and Childcare announced. The committee will provide advice on implementing the government’s Early Learning and Childcare Plan under four key principles of accessibility; affordability; inclusiveness; and quality early learning and child care. The committee will also facilitate communication between the department and early learning and child care centres, parents, schools and community partners.
Excerpt: "The Saskatchewan government announced more support for early childhood educators. Supports include: an increase in start-up grants for school-age spaces from $308 to $615 per child; Tuition Reimbursement Grants increase from $150 per individual course to $500; and from $450 to $1,500 for the Early Childhood Orientation course equivalent to an Early Childhood Educator I. In addition, early childhood educators working in a licensed setting can also apply for a Professional Development Support Grant to assist with the costs of attending in-province professional development opportunities taking place between September 1, 2010 and March 15, 2011."
