Celebrating one-year anniversary of signing of Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement with New Brunswick

GATINEAU, QC, Dec. 13, 2022 /CNW/ - Access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care will grow the economy, allow more women to enter the workforce and help give every child in Canada the best start in life. That's why the Government of Canada signed agreements with every province and territory to implement a Canada-wide early learning and child care system.

Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, and New Brunswick's Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, Bill Hogan, marked the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Canada–New Brunswick Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. 

As part of the agreement with the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Canada is providing almost $492 million over five years to help improve licensed early learning and child care for children under 6 years of age in the province. Through these investments, the governments of Canada and New Brunswick are working together to improve access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services, with the goal of ensuring that New Brunswick families have access to licensed child care for an average of $10 a day by March 31, 2026.

New Brunswick has reduced child care fees for licensed early learning and child care spaces for children under 6 by 50% on average as of June 1, 2022, introduced a new child care space creation policy, and is working toward creating 3,400 new licensed child care spaces by the end of March 2026.

New Brunswick is also supporting the valuable work of the early childhood educator workforce, who are at the heart of the Canada-wide early learning and child care system, by implementing the Early Childhood Educator Wage Grid and working on a recruitment and retention strategy.  

Building an early learning and child care system that works for all families in every region of the country is a key part of the Government of Canada's plan to make life more affordable for families while creating good jobs and growing the economy. Nearly all of Canada's provinces and territories have announced reductions in child care fees.

Quotes 

"As we mark the first year of our Canada-wide agreement with New Brunswick, our governments can take pride in having delivered real savings to families in the province, while also supporting the early childhood education workforce. By working with the Government of New Brunswick, increased access to high-quality, affordable and inclusive child care is becoming a reality for families in the province. I look forward to continued success as we build toward our ultimate goal of $10-a-day regulated child care everywhere in Canada."
– Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould

"I'm thrilled about the great progress we have seen here in New Brunswick over the last year. The impacts of our child care program are making life more affordable for people in our province, and giving our kids the best start in life. Most importantly, I am hearing from parents in my community and across New Brunswick how affordable and inclusive child care is changing their lives."
– Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Ginette Petitpas Taylor

"Over the last year, in partnership with the Government of Canada, the provincial government has been able to help families by lowering child care fees, creating new child care spaces, and supporting our early learning and child care sector. As we continue to work through the five-year Canada-wide agreement, we look forward to ensuring more of our youngest learners have the tools they need to succeed right from the very start."
– New Brunswick's Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, Bill Hogan

Quick Facts

• As part of Budget 2021, the Government of Canada made a transformative investment of more than $27 billion over five years to build a Canada-wide early learning and child care system with the provinces and territories. Combined with other investments, including investments in Indigenous early learning and child care, up to $30 billion over five years will be provided in support of early learning and child care.
• Through previous investments in early learning and child care, the Government of Canada helped to create over 40,000 more affordable child care spaces across the country, including over 12,600 in New Brunswick, prior to the pandemic.
• Recognizing that early childhood educators are at the very heart of a high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care system, wage grids and/or additional training supports for early childhood educators are part of all Canada-wide agreements with provinces and territories, with the exception of Quebec, which has an asymmetrical agreement.
• To ensure that families across Canada have enduring access to affordable, inclusive and high-quality early learning and child care, the Government of Canada has recently introduced Bill C-35, which, if passed, would enshrine the principles of a Canada-wide early learning and child care system into federal law. This includes a commitment to maintain long-term federal funding for provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples to support the provision of early learning and child care under a Canada-wide system.
• Investments in child care will benefit everyone across Canada. Studies show that for every dollar invested in early childhood education, the broader economy receives between $1.50 and $2.80 in return.

Associated Links

Toward $10 a Day: Early Learning and Child Care - Canada.ca
Canada–New Brunswick Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement – 2021 to 2026
$10 a day child care for families in New Bruns$10 a day child care for families in New Brunswickwick

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For media enquiries, please contact: Mohammad Hussain, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]