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Excerpt: "In Saskatchewan over the next two years nearly $35 million will be invested to continue to deliver tuition-free early childhood educator (ECE) training, professional development and student financial support. Through the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, up to $16.5 million in the 2024-25 academic year and up to $18.4 million in the 2025-26 academic year will be directed toward opportunities to support ECE skills and knowledge. The additional funding will create more than 4,000 tuition-free training seats over two years. This will allow current and future educators to advance or start their career in early childhood education and obtain their ECE Certification Level I, II or III. The investment also supports more than 5,300 professional development seats, helping educators gain knowledge to excel in their roles."

Excerpt: "The Ontario government is also introducing a new, cost-based funding approach for child care operators in the CWELCC program, effective January 1, 2025. This replaces the "revenue replacement approach" the government used in 2022, 2023 and 2024 where operators are eligible for the amounts required to buy down the parent fees (plus cost escalation). While this approach has worked for many it has also posed challenges, including that it was based on a point in time when some operators had kept fees low to support families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new funding approach prioritizes a simple and easy-to-administer system that is consistent across the province and is representative of the true costs of operating child care. Benchmark Allocations - Under the new funding approach, all operators will receive benchmark funding based on the typical costs to operate child care in their region of the province. In order to simplify the process for operators, funding will be based on core metrics including: the number of operating spaces/active homes; licensed spaces by age group; operator setting; operating days; cost escalation."

e-News

Excerpt: "Starting January 1, 2025, the new funding approach described in the new Cost-Based Funding Guideline will take effect. Cost-based funding provides support for operating costs for licensees participating in CWELCC for the delivery of child care to children aged 0-5 years. Design of the new approach was heavily guided by extensive stakeholder engagement. As a result, and as described in the new guideline, cost-based funding is guided by the following principles: Transparent: Clear and consistent approach, both locally and across CMSMs/DSSABs so that licensees know what to expect from CMSMs/DSSABs. Representative: Funding is responsive to how child care is delivered in Ontario and based on the true costs of providing child care to eligible children. Simple: Easy to understand with minimal administrative burden. Accountable: Cost control structures and safeguards ensure accountability for and equitable distribution of public funding."

Congratulations to Dr. Lana Stermac and Dr. Mary Caravias on their retirements!

Excerpt: "Ontario is taking the next step in lowering child care fees for families as part of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system. Starting in January 2025, parent fees will be capped at $22 per day for children under the age of six in CWELCC programs, resulting in additional savings of nearly $300 million in 2025 for families."

Excerpt: "This document (the “CWELCC Cost-Based Funding Guideline” or “this guideline”) describes the calculation of cost-based funding for eligible centres/agencies under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) Agreement for 2025 and subsequent calendar years and provides guidance for CMSMs/DSSABs to support the administration of that calculation. For clarity, the cost-based funding approach described in this guideline replaces the previous, “revenue replacement” approach, which—until December 31, 2024—provided funding based on the revenue “lost” due to mandatory caps and reductions of parent fees pursuant to O. Reg 137/15. Starting with 2025, licensees are funded based on eligible costs incurred in the calendar year in respect of eligible centres/agencies, up to a maximum amount of funding determined by the formula described in this guideline."

Excerpt: "Funding will be provided to child care centres for 15 Quality, Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Coordinators to be hired throughout the province. Each coordinator will have a background in psychology, early childhood education, education, or a closely related field. The coordinator will be an employee of a specific child care service and will provide on-site support to improve quality and inclusion within the child care centre. The coordinators will be responsible for supporting early childhood educators to ensure they are responsive to the individual needs of each child."

L’apport du CREFO dans le développement et la diversification du domaine d’études sur les francophonies canadiennes, par D. Farmer, N. Labrie et E. Le Pichon

Excerpt: "Over the course of the three-year plan, Newfoundland and Labrador’s ELCC Action Plan 2023–2024 to 2025–2026 outlines spending of more than $280 million in five areas: Affordability: More than $136 million towards enhancing affordability of regulated child care services for children aged 0–5. These funds help maintain Newfoundland and Labrador’s $10-a-day fee for regulated child care through the Canada-wide ELCC Agreement. Access: Over $43 million towards continuing the creation of 5,895 new regulated child care spaces by March 2026. This will be done through supporting expansion of the Pre-Kindergarten Program and through working with municipalities, not-for-profit and public child care providers to create new regulated child care spaces. Quality: More than $92 million towards ongoing support for the Early Childhood Educator wage grid implemented in April 2023, introducing a medical benefits program for Early Childhood Educators working in regulated child care services that participate in the Operating Grant Program, offering training and bursaries to support educators, and continuing the Quality Enhancement Program. Inclusion: More than $3 million to continue supporting the Child Care Capacity Initiative which provides funding to expand child care services for underserviced communities, including rural communities, linguistic minority communities, and Indigenous communities. Administration: Approximately $8 million to support the implementation and administration of the Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, including building targeted capacity and additional resources to support the implementation of initiatives, and enhanced data collection and reporting."

Excerpt: "More families throughout B.C. will have access to affordable and high-quality child care as the Province invests in almost 600 new licensed child care spaces. “Thanks to our government’s ChildCareBC plan, hundreds more families will be able to access the child care they need, close to home,” said Mitzi Dean, B.C.’s Minister of State for Child Care. “We know that having access to secure child care spaces supports families and strengthens communities. Through these investments, more families will be able to pursue opportunities and will provide children with great early learning experiences.” The new spaces were made possible with provincial and federal funding through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund, as well as the new federal Child Care Infrastructure Fund. More than $74 million was provided to First Nations, local governments and school districts to create these new child care spaces."