The Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick announce additional support for quality early learning and child care across the province

FREDERICTON, NB, Nov. 4, 2020 /CNW/ – The Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick are working together to ensure families have access to the affordable, high-quality and safe early learning and child care opportunities their children need to succeed.

Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen, and New Brunswick’s Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, Dominic Cardy, announced additional support for early learning and child care through the one-year Canada-New Brunswick Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.   

The agreement allocates nearly $10 million in 2020–21 for early learning and child care investments in New Brunswick. Specifically, New Brunswick will continue to collaborate with the childcare sector and maintain the  New Brunswick Early Learning Centres designation to ensure all families and children in the province have access to high-quality, affordable child care in the official language of their choice by 2030.

This agreement builds on the shared commitments made in the Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework and outlines New Brunswick’s unique child care needs and priorities, including those resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. It will ensure funding continues to be available to support child care programs and services for New Brunswick families in 2020–21.

In addition, the Government of Canada recently announced $625 million to address the reduced availability of child care and the unique needs stemming from the pandemic across Canada through the Safe Restart Agreement. This year, the Government of Canada will invest nearly $1.2 billion in total in child care.

Quotes

“Child care is not a convenience, it is a necessity. High-quality early learning experiences are essential to the intellectual, emotional and physical development of our children. The Government of Canada is pleased to continue working with the Government of New Brunswick to ensure that all children and families in New Brunswick have equal access to the quality early learning and child care they need to succeed.”
– Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen

“Ensuring access to affordable, high-quality early learning and child care options will play a critical role as New Brunswick recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting parents in their return to work. Continuing this agreement with the Government of Canada will enable us to keep delivering services families need and deserve.”
– Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development of New Brunswick, Dominic Cardy

“New Brunswick families can continue to count on our support and our continued collaboration with the Government of New Brunswick. This will allow young children in the province to continue to have access to learning opportunities and the very best start in life.”
– President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic LeBlanc

“All New Brunswick families deserve equal access to safe, high-quality, affordable child care. The Government of Canada is proud to invest in the future of our children by helping to ensure the continued availability of early learning and child care programs and services in New Brunswick, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.”
– Member of Parliament for Saint John–Rothesay, Wayne Long

Quick Facts

• The federal government entered into bilateral agreements with all provinces and territories to provide them with $1.2 billion over three years for early learning and child care programs, starting in 2017–18.
• These important investments in early and learning and child care helped to create close to 40,000 more affordable child care spaces nationally prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The federal government is now working with each jurisdiction to negotiate bilateral agreements that will provide $400 million in 2020–21. This funding will continue to support the early learning and child care sector and will build on this success.
• Going forward, the Government of Canada is committed to making a significant, long-term, sustained investment to create a pan-Canadian early learning and child care system and to subsidizing before- and after-school care.
• The Government of New Brunswick’s action plan outlines key areas of investment to help achieve its vision of access to high-quality, affordable child care for all children and families by 2030. These include maintaining the New Brunswick Early Learning Centres and Homes designation, investing in training and professional development for early childhood educators, and implementing its Inclusion Policy and guidelines for language acquisition and cultural identity.

Associated Links

Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework  
Canada-New Brunswick Early Learning and Child Care Agreement – 2020-2021

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