Today the Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Education, announced the allocation of the $10.2 million from the COVID-19 Safe Restart Agreement funding for child care operations in Newfoundland and Labrador. This Federal Government investment will support child care operators and Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) for their important roles in providing child care amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Programs funded under this grant will be retroactive to July 1, 2020 and will end on March 31, 2021, and include:
COVID-19 Related Expenditures Grant
This grant is available to regulated child care services in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador who are currently operating to help offset additional expenses incurred during the pandemic. Funding will be provided to all regulated child care services, and will be based on the number of spaces at each service.
COVID-19 One-Time ECE Grant
To recognize the important work of Early Childhood Educators in providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic, all ECEs who are currently working and who hold valid certification (all levels and classifications) can apply to receive a one-time grant of $1,500 for full-time ECEs or $750 for part-time ECEs.
COVID-19 Human Resources Grant
This funding will assist with the cost of
- Child care centres hiring additional staff to work as “float staff” to cover caregiver to child ratios; or
- Child care centres or family home child care providers hiring custodial staff or a custodial service to perform enhanced cleaning duties required by the COVID-19 Regulated Child Care Operations Policy
In addition, child care services participating in the Operating Grant Program that were impacted (due to COVID-19) and were not meeting the minimum 70 per cent enrollment required to receive the full grant were automatically assessed to receive full quarterly funding as approved in their signed Contribution Agreements.
Eligibility and application procedures for these grants can be found online here.
Quotes
“When many residents of this province began returning to work during the pandemic, they relied on child care operators to keep their children safe and to bring their lives back to a sense of normalcy. This Safe Restart Funding recognizes the additional pressures faced by operators and Early Childhood Educators in fulfilling this mandate. I send my sincere thanks to all staff and operators in the child care sector for their efforts.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Education
”AECENL is pleased to hear that the funding from the Safe Restart Agreement will be allocated to both regulated child care centres and family home child care providers to help offset expenses related to COVID-19. We are also glad to see that a portion of the funds will be given directly to early childhood educators as they have continued to provide quality early learning and care during COVID-19.”
Skye Crawford Taylor
Executive Director, Association of Early Childhood Educators Newfoundland and Labrador
– 30 –
Learn More
Follow us on Twitter: @GovNL and @EDU_GovNL
Like us on Facebook
Media contacts
Tina Coffey
Education
709-729-1906, 687-9903
tcoffey@gov.nl.ca
Skye Crawford Taylor
Association of Early Childhood Educators Newfoundland and Labrador
709-579-3028
executivedirector@aecenl.ca