The Honourable Krista Lynn Howell, Minister of Education, today provided an update on the Provincial Government’s progress in advancing early learning and child care services in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In November, government announced improved access to early learning and child care spaces for health care professionals. Three sites are under development in St. John’s, Bonavista, and Corner Brook to provide child care spaces for health care professionals employed by Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services. These sites will create approximately 160 child care spaces and will be developed over the next six months.
In October, the Child Care Demand Portal was unveiled as the first phase of an Early Learning Gateway, which will be a robust information management system for the Department of Education’s Early Learning and Child Care Division. Over 1,200 responses have been received through the portal, and will assist the department in focusing space creation efforts towards areas that are most in need.
In September, the Department of Education announced the allotment of $7.5 million through the federal Child Care Capacity Initiative toward a new, time-limited funding program called the Create a Space Incentive Grant. This grant assists eligible applicants with creating a total of 750 new regulated child care spaces throughout the province. The application period has ended and successful proponents will be announced in the coming weeks.
Early childhood educators are vital to support the growth and development of children within the province. The Department of Education remains engaged with early childhood educators through regular virtual town hall meetings. The Provincial Government continues to invest heavily in domestic recruitment and retention initiatives, including:
- Additional funding to post-secondary institutions to ensure early childhood education programs are more accessible and to increase the number of graduates;
- A needs-based grant to provide eligible students in approved program with non-repayable grants of up to $10,000;
- Creation of a bursary and wage grid bonus specific to Francophone early childhood educators;
- The Early Childhood Educator Recruitment and Retention Grant. to provide eligible early childhood educators with $2,500 upon initial certification and renewal of Level 1-4 certification, up to a maximum of $7,500;
- Implementation of a wage grid for early childhood educators in April 2023 to recognize the valuable contribution they make in supporting the children of the province.
The Department of Education has also been working with the Department of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills to facilitate virtual job fairs to support international recruitment as a short-term measure while the domestic early childhood educator workforce grows.
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is committed to providing high-quality, affordable child care that is accessible throughout the province. There are currently over 8,600 child care spaces operating at $10-a-day or less in the province, with 1,000 new spaces created in 2023.
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“We have taken progressive steps in advancing early learning and child care components, including space creation for families, and incentives to attract and retain early childhood educators from within our province and abroad. Our work continues as we listen and learn about the needs for early childhood educators and families, helping us to ensure these services are accessible and inclusive for everyone.”
Honourable Krista Lynn Howell
Minister of Education
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Learn more
Improving Access to Early Learning and Child Care for Health Professionals
Increased Funding Available to Grow Child Care Service Capacity in Newfoundland and Labrador
Minister Howell Announces New Recruitment and Retention Grant for Early Childhood Educators
Child Care Act and Regulations
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