Manitoba government aims high with new child-care spaces plan
Province plans to add spots for 12K children if elected in April
The Manitoba government is aiming high with its new child-care spaces plan ahead of the provincial election.
The NDP government plans to improve childhood education and add 12,000 child-care spaces across the province as part of its plan to eliminate wait times and offer universal child care for Manitoba parents and caregivers.
"At the same time, we will be supporting good wages and training opportunities for the workforce and an early learning curriculum that enriches children and reaches underserved areas," Premier Greg Selinger said in a statement.
The plan comes on the heels of a report released by the Early Learning and Child Care Commission.
The report states that a more concerted effort is needed toward lowering child-care costs. It suggests implementing a subsidy for child-care fees and eliminating costs altogether for families who are already fully subsidized.
The premier said he would phase out the minimum $2-a-day fee for low-income earners and boost subsidies for other families.
Post-secondary supports
The province said the report also recommends post-secondary schools continue hiring qualified workers by introducing a provincial wage scale as of Sept. 1, 2016. The report adds that the province should work closely with universities and colleges to offer more dual-credit training opportunities for child-care workers, as well as through full-time college coursework.
The province said it also plans to focus on boosting supports for indigenous and newcomer-populations in Manitoba.
Before and after
The report recommended school divisions should be responsible for providing child-care options for parents. Building off that recommendation, Selinger said the province is starting a pilot program in the Seven Oaks and Seine River school divisions that will offer more before- and after-programming in schools.
The plan comes in the midst of a flurry of recent announcements from the province in the lead up to the Apr. 19 election. By provincial law, the government must stop such announcements next Tuesday, although political parties can continue to make promises.
With files from the Canadian Press