10 Reasons to Choose Quality Early Learning and Child Care

Expert knowledge Early childhood educators are experts in child development and are trained to create inspiring learning environments!
Intentionality Early childhood educators provide your child the gift of time and attention. They will stop and explore the new flowers or jump in the mud puddles with your child.
Young at heart Early childhood educators know how to have fun! They’re not afraid to be silly and laugh with your child; all while nurturing your child’s creativity and helping to build their self-confidence.
Setting limits Every child needs reasonable boundaries, such as no playing ball inside. Early childhood educators set limits and support families in doing the same.
Love of literacy Early childhood educators read and tell stories, sing songs, and do puppet shows to inspire a love of language and to build early literacy skills.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Confidence boost Early childhood educators provide safe opportunities for your child to be independent and to become confident in their personality and decision making skills.
Inspired learning Early childhood educators ask open-ended questions to inspire creative thought and curiosity, to encourage children to explore, and to make learning fun.
Life skills Early childhood educators use their expertise to develop programs that use play as a tool for teaching math, literacy, science and essential life skills that last for life!
Making friends Early childhood educators are educated to appropriately support children to gain social skills, which are so important in making friends and developing positive relationships!
Helping hand Everyone gets stumped by parenting from time to time - juggling schedules, demands, and behaviours. When it gets tough and you need someone to talk to, reach out to your child’s early childhood educator!
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Increased minimum wage means 'large number of families' no longer eligible for childcare subsidy (via CBC PEI)

April 4th, 2017


By Steve Bruce, CBC News 
Posted: Apr 04, 2017 7:00 AM AT

Need for changes to childcare subsidy program 'urgent,' says Early Childhood Development Association

P.E.I.'s Early Childhood Development Association says the 25 cent increase to the minimum wage this week has created an "urgent need" for the province to overhaul its childcare subsidy program.

The province's minimum wage jumped for the third time in the past year on April 1, to $11.25/hour

"Because of the additional increase to minimum wage, this needs to be addressed ASAP, and not later in the spring or summer," said Sonya Hooper, the association's executive director. "This leaves a large number of families unable to access the [subsidy]."

Last April, Family and Human Services Minister Tina Mundy said the childcare subsidy program was under review, partly, she said, because income levels required for qualification "haven't been adjusted in many, many years."

Nearly a year later, while P.E.I's minimum wage has increased by $0.75, no changes have been made to those income levels.

For example, in order to qualify for a full subsidy of up to $34 a day, a single parent with one child needs to make below $1,453.34 a month, net.

Hooper said a minimum wage earner working full time hours now makes hundreds of dollars more than that each month. 

"This increase in minimum wage will make it a little more challenging for those that are barely making that income ceiling as it is" she said. "The threshold has to change in order to have more families be able to access that program and help them out."

The number of Island children accessing the subsidy has dropped off in recent years — from roughly 2,000 children in 2011 to 1,500 children in each of the last two years. 

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The province has used that reduced access to justify shrinking funding for the program by 20 per cent over the last two years, despite a commitment by the Liberals in their 2015 election platform to increase funding. 

In an e-mail to CBC, a spokesperson with the Family and Human Services Department says government is still committed to increasing funding by $300,000 "during this mandate."

The department also says a working group is still carrying out a review of the childcare subsidy program, and is expected to complete recommendations this spring.

Tags: government investments, child care subsidy, families, media stories

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