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October 30, 2009 PROVINCE INVESTS $743,000 IN NORTHERN CHILD-CARE CENTRES– – –166 New Spaces, New Equipment, New Play Spaces, More Options Ensured for Families: Selinger THE PAS - Manitoba is investing $743,000 and working with its community partners to build, rejuvenate and expand child-care centres to meet the needs of families in the north, Premier Greg Selinger announced here today.
“We are committed to ensuring that safe, enriching child care is available so parents have the choice to work or pursue the training they need to support their families,” Selinger said. “In this difficult economic environment, high-quality, affordable child care is critical for many Manitoba families.”
This year, three construction or renovation projects have been approved in Thompson and The Pas including projects at the University College of the North’s (UCN’s) Thompson and The Pas locations, Selinger said.
The UCN projects are at:
· The Pas Campus which is renovating space to establish an on-site child-care centre for infant, preschool and school-age programs as part of its campus redevelopment project.
· The Thompson Campus which is constructing new space within the main campus building to establish an on-site child-care centre for infant, preschool and school-age programs. This centre will also be used as a teaching site for its related early childhood education training program.
As well, major renovations at Riverside Daycare in Thompson will increase the number of spaces available for families. In total, there will be 166 new spaces available when these projects are finished, said Selinger.
In addition, the province is investing almost $60,000 for 13 other northern child-care centres to buy equipment and to make renovations such as developing outdoor play spaces that enhance the quality of children’s experiences.
Since Family Choices, Manitoba’s five-year initiative for early learning and child care, was launched in April 2008, funding for 2,850 child-care spaces has been announced. The province is well on its way to meeting its commitment of funding 6,500 spaces and 35 new child-care sites by 2013, said the premier.
A key part of Family Choices is the Workforce Stability Strategy, which has increased the number of child-care workers by 1,900 compared with five years ago. The strategy includes:
· Wage increases: Front-line early childhood educators have had a wage increase of 42 per cent since 1999. Graduates of college-level diploma programs can now expect to earn $32,000 per year on graduation.
· Recruitment: “It’s the small wonders that make this career great” worker recruitment campaign was launched this spring.
· Scholarships: Family Choices scholarships were created for 20 Grade 12 students entering an early childhood educator (ECE) program at Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface and the University College of the North.
· Training: Training grants were increased 40 per cent to $350 from $250. These grants are also being made available to ECE IIs who wish to upgrade.
“We are committed to building and supporting a strong early childhood workforce,” Selinger said. “We recognize that a strong system is not possible without first having a strong workforce.”
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