Child care is not just a social policy—it is also an economic policy. Access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care will grow the economy, allow more women to enter the workforce and give children in Canada the best start in life. That is why the Government of Canada signed agreements with each province and territory to implement a Canada-wide early learning and child care system.
on July 27th, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould, and Yukon’s Minister of Education Jeanie McLean, celebrated the one-year anniversary of signing the Canada-Yukon Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
As part of the agreement with the Government of Yukon, the Government of Canada is providing nearly $42 million over five years to help improve licensed early learning and child care for children under six years of age in the territory. The Government of Canada’s investment builds on Yukon’s successes to provide Yukon families with access to full-time licensed early learning and child care spaces at less than $10 a day on average.
With support through the Canada-Yukon Canada-wide agreement, the Yukon has already surpassed its commitment to create 110 new licensed early learning and child care spaces within five years, to help provide Yukon families with access to early learning and child care. The territory focuses on supporting the creation of spaces in licenced non-profit, for-profit, family day home and First Nations government-operated centres.
The governments of Canada and Yukon have created an implementation committee to monitor progress on early learning and child care commitments in consultation with partners and stakeholders. The Government of Canada is represented on the committee by the Federal Secretariat on Early Learning and Child Care.
In addition, the Yukon supports:
- a strong and skilled workforce of early childhood educators, including through greater opportunities for professional development, increased funding for program operators to provide comprehensive insurance benefits and one of the highest minimum wages in Canada for fully qualified early childhood educators at just over $30 an hour;
- a universal child care system that is inclusive of children with differing abilities and children needing enhanced or individual supports and that ensures that all families have equitable access to high-quality, affordable care; and
- a clear commitment to continuing to work collaboratively with First Nations partners across the Yukon to ensure that families have access to affordable and high-quality early learning and child care that promotes Yukon First Nations ways of knowing, doing and being.
Building a Canada-wide child care system that works for all families in every region of the country is a key part of the plan to make life more affordable for families while creating good jobs and growing the economy. Nearly all of Canada’s provinces and territories have already seen reductions in child care fees. By the end of 2022, average fees for licensed early learning and child care spaces will be cut in half across the country. For jurisdictions such as the Yukon and Quebec which already have an affordable universal child care system in place, investments will support, among other things, the expansion of high-quality and inclusive child care spaces.
