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Excerpt: "The ministers acknowledged that a thriving workforce is critical to ensuring high-quality and inclusive early learning and child care. Building on the work of last year’s meeting, ministers reviewed a jointly developed draft Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Workforce Strategy and discussed a path forward for working together on common goals to stabilize and support the early learning and child care workforce. Ministers recognized that each government can conduct its own engagements on the strategy, such as engaging further with Indigenous governments, communities and organizations. Ministers also recognized that they retain responsibility and authority over how the strategy is implemented in their respective jurisdictions."

Description: "The Government of Canada is committed to working with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners to create a Canada-wide system of high-quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive early learning and child care (ELCC) that all families can access no matter where they live. To help inform continued progress, the Department of Employment and Social Development is seeking input on what the Canada-wide ELCC system and its commitment to provide child care for $10-a-day, on average, means to you. The purpose of this discussion guide is to provide you with a general update on the implementation of the Canada-wide ELCC system and to provide a framework to help us better understand your experiences with the system. Your views on the key challenges and successes to date are essential to support future and ongoing work. This guide is designed to be an open-ended tool that invites respondents to consider both universal and more targeted questions, as appropriate. This tool was designed with the understanding that all respondents will have different experiences with the Canada-wide ELCC system, and that their unique realities will shape their response. While significant progress has been made, more work needs to be done to ensure the Canada-wide ELCC system is able to deliver high-quality, affordable, accessible, flexible and inclusive ELCC for all families. Respondents are invited to respond to whichever questions most align with their priorities, challenges, and experiences."

Excerpt: "For the 2024–25 benefit year, families can receive up to $7,787 per child under the age of 6 and $6,570 per child aged 6 through 17. This means moms and dads could receive up to $350 more than last year. This represents an increase of 4.7% from the previous year. The Canada Child Benefit has been indexed to inflation using Consumer Price Index data as reported by Statistics Canada—a widely used measure of inflation. Indexing the Canada Child Benefit occurs every July, ensuring that the benefit protects families from inflation and provides certainty and predictability of support parents can count on."

Excerpt: "School food programs provide children and youth with meals and/or snacks at school, often at no-to-low cost for participating families. Providing food to children and youth provides many benefits, including reducing hunger, improving nutrition and health outcomes, supporting local economies, reducing food-related spending for families. With an investment of $1 billion over five years, the Program, included in Budget 2024, will provide meals to up to 400,000 more kids every year, beyond those served by existing school food programs. A National School Food Program will also help support families by reducing food costs. Research shows that school meal programs can provide an estimated $800 per year in relief to participating families with two children. This will mean peace of mind for parents and healthy meals for kids – helping them get the best start to life. The Program will also be a safety net for the kids who need this support the most. We’re going to work with provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners to get this program to schools across the country."

Excerpt: "The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today highlighted the new National School Food Program. With an investment of $1 billion over five years, the Program, included in Budget 2024, will provide meals to 400,000 more kids every year, beyond those served by existing school food programs. This will mean peace of mind for parents and healthy meals for kids – helping them learn, grow, and get the best start to life. The Program will also be a safety net for the kids who need this support the most. We’re going to work with provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners to get this program to schools across the country."

Excerpt: "Key Ongoing Actions: Providing over $25 billion in support to about 3.5 million families with children annually through the tax-free Canada Child Benefit, with eligible families receiving up to $7,787 per child in 2024-25; Building a Canada-wide system of early learning and child care, which is delivering $10-a-day child care in eight provinces and territories, with all other provinces already cutting fees by 50 per cent and remaining on track to deliver $10-a-day child care by March 2026, significantly ahead of schedule; Launching the Canada Dental Benefit to provide eligible parents or guardians with direct, up-front, tax-free payments of up to $1,300 over two years to cover the cost of dental care for their children under 12 years old."

Excerpt: "The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced a new National School Food Program. With an investment of $1 billion over five years, the Program, included in Budget 2024, will launch with a target of providing meals to 400,000 more kids every year, beyond those served by existing school food programs. For moms and dads, it will mean the peace of mind that your kids are taken care of and do not go hungry. For kids, it will mean healthy meals – helping them learn, grow, and reach their full potential. This is a generational investment in the future of our kids, and we’re going to work with provinces and territories and Indigenous partners to ensure every child has the food they need. The Program will be a safety net for the kids who need this support the most. The lack of access to food disproportionately impacts children from lower-income families and from racialized and Indigenous communities. With this program, we’re getting healthy food on the plates of growing kids."

Excerpt: "The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced measures from the upcoming Budget 2024 to build more affordable child care spaces – saving more families thousands of dollars and helping more parents return to their careers. These measures include: Launching a new Child Care Expansion Loan Program. With $1 billion in low-cost loans and $60 million in non-repayable grants, public and not-for-profit child care providers will be able to build new spaces and renovate their existing child care centres. This means more resources for child care providers and more affordable child care options for families; Offering student loan forgiveness for rural and remote early childhood educators. This will encourage educators to work in smaller communities and help families get the child care they need. With a $48 million investment over four years, student loan forgiveness will increase the longer an educator works in a rural or remote area, attracting and retaining the talent, similar to the programs we’re offering rural doctors and nurses; Increasing training for early childhood educators. We’re investing $10 million over two years to train more early childhood educators, building up the talent needed for the expansion of affordable, high-quality child care."

Excerpt: " Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced $9,450,000 over five years, for two organizations through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) Healthy Early Years program. This investment will help improve access to community-based early childhood health promotion programming in OLMCs, including assisting families facing health equity barriers. It will also expand knowledge and resources as well as strengthen capacity to help improve the health and development of children (birth to 6 years of age). The Société Santé en français (SSF) will receive $7,560,000 to support francophones living in OLMCs outside of the province of Quebec. The Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN) will receive $1,890,000 to support anglophones living in OLMCs in the province of Quebec."

Excerpt: "Bill C-35, An Act respecting early learning and child care in Canada, was introduced in the House of Commons on December 8, 2022. The Act: reinforces the Government’s long-term commitment to early learning and child care by articulating the federal goal, vision, and principles for a Canada-wide system; enshrines the Government of Canada’s commitment to sustained and ongoing funding for partners; enhances accountability through reporting to Parliament on progress towards an early learning and child care system; and establishes in law the National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care, which provides advice to the Government of Canada and serves as a forum for engagement on issues and challenges facing the early learning and child care sector."

Excerpt: "Every family in Canada deserves access to high-quality child care when they need it and at a price that won’t break the bank. That’s why the Government of Canada is working closely with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners to make this a reality. To date, over half of all provinces and territories are delivering regulated early learning and child care for an average of $10-a-day or less, and every other jurisdiction has reduced fees by at least 50%. For families across Canada, this means significant annual savings for regulated child care. On average, families could save up to $14,300 per child depending on where they live. With Bill C-35, An Act respecting early learning and child care in Canada, receiving Royal Assent on March 19, 2024, the federal vision is now established into law. The legislation enshrines the guiding principles for federal investments in a Canada-wide early learning and child care system where families have access to affordable, high-quality, flexible, and inclusive programs and services no matter where they live. This also includes this Government’s commitment to maintaining long-term federal funding to our funding partners."

Excerpt: "To build and maintain this system, we need qualified and well-supported educators, as they are the cornerstone of the child care system. The federal government remains committed to working with provincial and territorial governments to support the recruitment, retention and recognition of this essential workforce."