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News Release - Manitoba

October 5, 2015

Premier Selinger Helps Celebrate Opening of New Swan River Child-Care Centre

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Spaces for up to 101 Children, Part of Commitment to Create Universally Accessible Child-care for Manitoba Families: Premier Selinger

SWAN RIVER—Premier Greg Selinger was here today to help celebrate the grand opening of the Swan River Day Care Centre’s new and larger facility, which will care for up to 101 children from families in the Parkland region.

“We are committed to creating a universally accessible child-care system for Manitoba families,” said Premier Selinger.  “This new child-care facility will take on the incredibly important responsibility of looking after our most cherished citizens while their parents build a better life for their families in the workforce or by upgrading their skills at school.”

The child-care centre is located in a newly purchased and renovated building at 439 Westwood Rd. in Swan River.  With the expansion, it now has spaces for 20 infant, 58 preschool and 23 school-age children.

All 101 spaces are funded by the province, the premier said, adding the province contributed $200,000 to the cost of purchasing and renovating the new centre.

In 2015-16, the Manitoba government will invest $162.9 million in early learning and child care, which will support Family Choices:  Manitoba’s Plan to Expand Early Learning and Child Care.  One of the main goals of this multi-year plan is to create a universally accessible system by investing in more than 5,000 new and newly funded spaces, the minister said.  This year, the province has committed funding to creating 900 spaces.

Earlier this year, the Manitoba government established a commission on early learning and child care to ensure the province’s system reflects the future needs of families and to guide future plans for licensed child care.  The commission’s work began in March and a final report is expected in early 2016, the premier said.

Since 1999, the Manitoba government has:

  • nearly tripled annual funding for child care to more than $162 million,
  • established a school-based and a community-based capital building fund to construct and expand child-care centres throughout the province,
  • funded more than 14,300 child-care spaces, increased wages by nearly 60 per cent and introduced a provincewide pension plan for child-care workers,
  • introduced age-appropriate curricula and enhanced quality programming, and
  • kept Manitoba child care the most affordable in Canada outside of Quebec.

For more information about early learning and child care, visit www.gov.mb.ca/childcare.

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