Manitoba, Ottawa inject $60M into childcare system for infrastructure, staff retention

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This article was published 23/02/2023 (973 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The province’s childcare system is getting a $60 million cash infusion for infrastructure improvements and staff retention.

In a joint announcement, the federal and Manitoba governments said the money will help early learning and childcare providers now and in future.

“Our government is, once again, committed to making quality childcare more accessible,” Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko said, speaking from the SPLASH Child Enrichment Centre on McGregor Street Thursday.

“While this means making more spaces available and making childcare more affordable, it also means investing in facilities and workforce.”

The two governments will direct a total of $45.9 million in funding to support enhanced programming for children up to age seven, while the province will also spend $14 million on programming for children between the ages of seven and 12.

Broken down further, $33.8 million will go toward aging infrastructure improvements, $18.7 million will be committed to improving child accessibility and diversity and $7.4 million will help with recruitment and retention of staff.

All licensed non-profit childcare centres and home-based providers are eligible for a maximum of $900 and $500 for infrastructure and accessibility improvements, respectively. They can use the money for building maintenance, constructing new play structures or creating culturally appropriate and accessible spaces.

In terms of recruitment and retention, providers can apply for a $200 recruitment benefit for each licensed space, or a one-time $500 top-up that providers can contribute to their RRSP.

Applications for funding must be submitted before March 13.

The governments created the funding model with consultations from experts within the childcare and education sectors, Ewasko said.

“I know that (childcare providers) have been screaming for some of this for quite some time, and I do want to say we are absolutely listening,” he said.

Liberal MP Dan Vandal represented Ottawa at the announcement, calling it “absolutely essential” to invest in early childhood educators.

He pointed to previous investments by the federal government as evidence of its commitment to childcare, including $27 billion reserved in the 2021 national budget.

Ewasko commended the ability of the two levels of government to collaborate on childcare.

“It does come down to a partnership, especially when we are funding childcare facilities and staff to help better them into the future,” he said.

The new funding comes on the heels of another childcare announcement the education minister made last week.

Speaking from the Tache Community Day Care in Lorette, Ewasko said 14 additional rural and remote communities will be getting a new childcare centre under the Manitoba Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

The federal and provincial governments announced in November they would earmark $70 million to build 1,200 new, regulated non-profit childcare spaces in rural and First Nations communities

The first phase of the program included nine communities and 650 childcare spaces. Ewasko said the second phase of the program will include 1,004 spaces.

The new centres are expected to open by the end of the year.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca