Manitoba's Five-Year Plan For Child Care

April 2002
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Overview:

In February 2001, the Manitoba government asked for public feedback on the Child Day Care Regulatory Review Committee's report "A Vision for Child Care and Development in Manitoba." Over 24,000 Manitobans responded, with most expressing support for the concept of an affordable, accessible, high quality, universal child care system. (View the Summary of the Public Response)

Manitoba's Five-Year Plan for Child Care will continue to support and expand Manitoba's child care system. The Manitoba government will continue to work with the federal government to improve the child care system.

Since April 2000, Manitoba has increased its investment in child day care by $16 million or 32 per cent. The total budget for the program is now almost $70 million.

Manitoba's plan advances three major elements over a five-year period:

maintaining and improving quality;
improving accessibility; and
improving affordability.

Major Elements of the Plan:

YEAR ONE - 2002/03

An additional $2.35 million will be invested in child day care programming:

Effective July 1, 2002, grant increases for service providers will enable the first level of Phase III salaries to be paid to early childhood educators (ECEs). Equivalent grant increases will also be provided for family child care homes and nursery schools.
To begin addressing the shortfall of ECEs, Manitoba will expand the Competency-Based Assessment and Competency-Based Assessment/Prior Learning Assessment programs. In addition, colleges will increase the number of students in ECE training programs.
A public education and recruitment campaign will be undertaken to attract more students to the field.
The government will support mandatory training of new family child care providers, and will provide incentives for existing providers and child care assistants to begin training.
Beginning in September 2002, there will be further increases in the number of funded child care spaces. Priority will be given to communities that are most underserved and to programs with the greatest financial need.
Maximum fees parents pay as part of funded programs will be frozen.
The government will also:
- explore incentives to encourage greater use of licensed family child care homes for infant care;
- examine, in conjunction with community funders and partners, the concept of a comprehensive nursery school program for three and four-year olds; and
- review the child care subsidy program and the non-subsidized daily fee.

YEARS TWO TO FIVE 2003/04 - 2006/07

By the end of March 2007:

wages and incomes for service providers will increase by 10 per cent;
450 more ECEs will be trained;
licensed family child care providers will be encouraged to complete designated training;
5,000 more spaces will be funded;
Manitoba's existing nursery school program for three and four-year olds will be expanded and more closely linked with other early childhood development initiatives;
subsidy income levels and allowable deductions will be adjusted so more low and middle income families are eligible for full or partial fee subsidies;
the $2.40 non-subsidized daily fee for subsidized families will be reduced; and
more child care subsidies will be available to support newly created spaces.

This five-year plan is a high priority for the Manitoba government and must be based on future fiscal realities. The province will seek the support of the Government of Canada and all key stakeholders to achieve these goals.