The Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, was joined today by the Honourable Krista Lynn Howell, Minister of Education, the Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Health and Community Services and Yvonne Jones, Member of Parliament for Labrador, on behalf of the Honourable Jenna Sudds, Minister of Children, Families and Social Development, to announce a new initiative to improve access to early learning and child care throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
Three sites are under development and will be operational in St. John’s, Bonavista, and Corner Brook. These sites will create approximately 160 child care spaces and will be developed over the next six months. All sites will be operated by YMCA, and will consider hours of operation to ensure the child care services meet the needs of health professionals.
Premier Furey was joined by the Honourable Krista Lynn Howell, Minister of Education, the Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Health and Community Services, Yvonne Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern Affairs and Member of Parliament for Labrador, on behalf of the Honourable Jenna Sudds, Minister of Children, Families and Social Development, and Debbie Molloy, Vice President of Human Resources, NL Health Services in making today’s announcement.
Further initiatives to enhance access to early learning and child care for health care professionals in urban, rural and remote communities throughout the province are in development and will be announced in the coming months.
The child care for employees of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services initiative is a part of the $306 million invested through the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. This agreement is increasing access to regulated child care through the creation of approximately 6,000 spaces by 2025-26, as well as improving affordability, inclusivity and the quality of early learning and child care programming in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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 over 1,000 new spaces created in 2023.
Quotes
“Our government continues to listen to the needs of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The creation of child care spaces for health care professionals supports families and the health care system at the same time. This is targeted action to promote the health and wellness of every resident in the province.”
Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
“These new initiatives are positive additions to early learning and child care in Newfoundland and Labrador. We will continue to work to increase capacity so that all children and families are able to access the early learning and child care services they need while contributing to an inclusive and thriving province. I want to thank the YMCA for bringing this valuable initiative forward as a way to improve access to both health and child care.”
Honourable Krista Lynn Howell
Minister of Education
“We know health care professionals face many challenges working in our health care system. By working together with health care professionals to find meaningful solutions to address their needs, we are helping to build a stronger health care system. Providing child care services for health care professionals is not just a convenience – we’re enabling our caregivers to focus on healing others while knowing their own families are cared for. Initiatives such as this will directly impacting the quality of patient care, the effectiveness of health care systems, and the overall well-being of communities.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Health and Community Services
“Our goal is to build a national early learning and child care system that provides children, no matter where they live, access to high-quality, affordable and inclusive child care. That means creating spaces that meet the needs of communities across the country. The creation of these new spaces in St. John’s, Bonavista and Corner Brook will be a relief for many healthcare professionals who are so essential to our everyday life. We will continue to work with provinces and territories to build a system that makes life easier, and more affordable, for families.”
Honourable Jenna Sudds
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Government of Canada
“By working with our union, Provincial and Federal Government partners, we have assessed the needs and solutions for child care arrangements for health care workers. Our employees have indicated to us what they need in order to perform their work to the best of their abilities and having child care solutions was a top priority. Today’s announcement will further help us in our retention and recruitment activities as our employees will have a better balance between their work and home lives.”
Debbie Molloy
Vice President of Human Resources, NL Health Services
-30-
Learn more
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
$10-a-day Child Care Now a Reality for Families in Newfoundland and Labrador
Follow us on X @GovNL , @EDU_GovNL and @HCS_GovNL
Like us on Facebook