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The Department of Child, Youth and Family Services announced "$2 million for the second year of the Family Child Care Initiative.... This two-year pilot project is making great strides in the development of regulated child care spaces throughout the province with an emphasis on spaces for infants up to 24 months of age."

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador "has entered into a partnership with the Margaret & Wallace McCain Family Foundation and the Jimmy Pratt Foundation to study innovative ways in which to integrate early childhood learning programs in Newfoundland and Labrador with a view to enabling the smoothest possible transition to school."

The Department of Education, along with the departments of Child, Youth and Family Services and Health and Community Services launched The Power of Play, "a multi-media promotional campaign designed to highlight and encourage play-based learning."

The NL Premier unveiled a ten-year provincial child care strategy.

Budget 2013 allocates an investment of $31.1 million in 2013-14 for child care in Newfoundland and Labrador, with a focus on continuing the implementation of Caring For Our Future: Provincial Strategy for Quality, Sufficient and Affordable Child Care in Newfoundland and Labrador. Two Backgrounders were provided outlining Key Investments for Child, Youth and Family Services in Budget 2013 and A Sound Plan for K-12 Education.

The Early Literacy Foundations program, designed to give parents and caregivers the tools to promote and enhance early literacy development in children, was launched today (Monday, January 27) at the Michael Donovan Library in St. John’s.

The Provincial Government released its 2014 Budget, and it remains committed to enhancing the quality, accessibility, and affordability of regulated child care services for families with young children throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Budget 2014 allocates an additional $11.4 million for child care services, bringing the province’s total child care budget to approximately $42.5 million. This funding will focus on continuing to implement the 10-year child care strategy, Caring For Our Future: Provincial Strategy for Quality, Sufficient and Affordable Child Care in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In addition to funding for full-day Kindergarten, at a cost of $30.6 million over three years, Budget 2014: Shared Prosperity, Fair Society, Balanced Outlook includes $4.8 million for the continuation of early learning initiatives aimed specifically at infants and toddlers.

With a continued focus on strengthening child care throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, the Provincial Government will increase the toddler rate under the Child Care Services Subsidy Program. Effective September 1, 2014, the program’s toddler rate will increase from $30 to $33 per day for those children aged 24 months to under 36 months who are availing of regulated child care services.

Excerpt: "Creation of the new Department of Education and Early Childhood Development: The best education systems integrate early learning activities with the formal education system. The new department will be responsible for the continuum of learning from infancy through high school. It brings together the teams that will spearhead initiatives in early childhood education, the introduction of full-day kindergarten and other advances throughout the primary, elementary and secondary systems."

There are six key differences in the new act from the existing legislation. They are: The definitions of a “child care service” and a “child care provider” have been clarified and strengthened to outline specific exemptions to each definition; The capacity limit on a regulated child care licence has been removed which allows licensees to determine the scope of their service but does not impact quality of service for children; An appeals process for a licensing decision has been defined; The Minister, rather than the Lieutenant Governor in Council, will now appoint the Provincial Director of Child Care. The normal public service competition process will apply to that position; Regional managers will not be appointed as inspectors, providing transparency in the inspection process; and A statutory review will be required every five years, including a public consultation.

To help make child care more affordable for parents, the Provincial Government is launching a voluntary Operating Grant Program. Through a total investment of $9.7 million, an annual operating grant will be given to eligible licensed child care centres to help offset some of the costs associated with providing child care.