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Dr. Petr Varmuza

Excerpt: "Ontario’s first “Service Plan for Child Care Services” (1992) came into existence as a negotiated response to successive provincial governments’ dislike of Toronto’s long-standing effort to move beyond the administration of the child care subsidy system and equitably manage the provision of services across, what was then, Metropolitan Toronto. Additionally, the provision of municipally operated child care centres was a special target, as it is now, regardless the important function they played in the most disadvantaged communities.

Since then, service plans became a provincially mandated documents usually produced on a five-year cycle consisting of listening to the service providers and soliciting public input primarily from parents searching for child care or child care subsidy. Rarely there is a formal, public review of the accomplishments since the approval of the previous plan, including the full range of successes and failures. Once approved by the municipal authority, they often undergo minimum public scrutiny, ongoing evaluation and review."

I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt appreciation for joining us at the Centre for Black Studies in Education’s 2nd Anniversary Celebration on September 5.

e-News

Excerpt: "The Women’s Economic Security Program offers training in four streams: skilled trades, entrepreneurship, information technology, and general employment. To help remove barriers to participating, the training programs also include additional supports such as providing meals throughout the training day, transportation to and from training, and support finding child care."

Excerpt: "As Canada rushes to $10 per day child care an unsettling finding emerged out of a study on the Ontario early childhood workforce. When describing conditions in their workplace, a number of educators said they wouldn’t recommend their centre to a friend or family member looking for child care. Results varied by region, yet on average 6 per cent of educators said ‘no’ when asked if they would recommend their own program. Another 8 per cent said they were unsure. The percentage of concerned staff is thankfully small, but it still represents hundreds of educators working in hundreds of child care centres across the province."

e-News

Excerpt: "Today the Governments of Saskatchewan and Canada announced $8.4 million in early learning and child care workforce enhancement grants to assist eligible child care centres and group family child care homes in recruiting and retaining staff, as well as an additional $1 million for a total of nearly $53 million to the Early Childhood Educator (ECE) wage enhancement grant. This change will provide a $1 an hour increase to the ECE wage enhancement grant maximums for all certification levels."

Excerpt: "Students heading back to class will now be able to get a nutritious meal or snack when they need one, with the universal school nutrition program now available in every school in the province, Premier Wab Kinew and Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Nello Altomare announced today. “Kids can’t learn on an empty stomach,” said Kinew. “We made a commitment to Manitoba families that we’d make sure kids across our province had access to food when they go to school, and we’ve delivered on that promise. As kids head back to class this week, they’ll be able to get a meal or a snack when they need one, so they can concentrate, learn and reach their full potential.” The Manitoba government committed $30 million in Budget 2024 to make a meal or snack available to students across the province."

Excerpt: "When kids eat well, they do better in school. And when kids do well in school, they succeed. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Dr. Andrew Furey, today announced an agreement to expand school food programs in the province. This agreement, under the National School Food Program, will result in 4,100 more kids in Newfoundland and Labrador getting healthy meals this school year. Participating families with two kids will save an estimated $800 a year, on average. It will mean lower grocery bills for families and school meals for kids – helping them learn, grow, and get the best start in life. Newfoundland and Labrador is the first province to reach an agreement with the federal government through the new National School Food Program. This initial investment of approximately $9.1 million over three years will help more kids get access to school food. We invite all provinces and territories to reach these agreements – it’s one of the best investments we can make to lower costs, support families, and care for our kids."