The Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon announce extension of support for quality early learning and child care across the territory

GATINEAU, QC, Aug. 13, 2021 /CNW/ - Employment and Social Development Canada

The Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon have reached an agreement on an extension to the Canada?Yukon Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

Through the agreement, the Government of Canada is providing over $10.1 million in funding over four years to Yukon to improve access to high quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services. In addition, the Government of Canada is also making a one-time investment of nearly $2.5 million in 2021-2022 to support Yukon's local early childhood educator workforce with recruitment and retention efforts.

Under the 2021?2022 to 2024?2025 Canada?Yukon Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, Yukon will allocate funding to further build universal access to early learning and child care for all Yukon families, including increasing the current subsidy system and increasing training and certification opportunities for child care providers. The current Yukon Early Learning and Child Care Funding Program reduces parent fees by up to $700 per child per month for full-time participation in licenced child care programs, and provides a minimum wage of nearly $30 an hour to fully qualified educators.

This four-year agreement builds on the commitments made in the Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework and ensures that funding continues to be available to support child care programs and services for Yukon families until March 2025.

These investments support the Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon's shared commitment to provide Yukon parents with access to high quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning child care.

Quotes

"Child care is not a luxury, it's a necessity. High-quality early learning experiences are essential to the intellectual, emotional and physical development of our children. Our government will continue to fight for families and children in Yukon, to ensure they have access to affordable, accessible, flexible and inclusive child care because every child deserves the best possible start in life."
? Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen

"Our government is committed to delivering a universal child care program that is accessible, affordable, and high-quality. This investment in training and development for early childhood educators will help grow our economy and build capacity in our workforce here at home, across all communities in the Yukon. This agreement renewal and expansion is a very important contribution towards cultivating a robust, local workforce of high quality educators and increasing the number of early learning and child care spaces in Yukon communities."
? The Honourable Jeanie McLean, Yukon's Minister of Education

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon recently signed a new Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, providing nearly $42 million in additional federal funding over the next five years to support Yukon's efforts to ensure that all families have access to regulated child care for 10$ a day.
• The Government of Canada has invested over $9.6 million in early learning and child care in Yukon since 2017.
• Through previous investments in early learning and child care, the Government of Canada helped to create over 40,000 more affordable child care spaces across the country prior to the pandemic, including over 1,500 spaces in Yukon.
• Budgets 2016 and 2017 provided federal investments in early learning and child care totaling $7.5 billion over 11 years to support and create more high-quality, affordable child care across the country, including dedicated investment for Indigenous early learning and child care.

Associated Link

Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada