'A game changer for many families': How $10-a-day childcare affects Manitobans

The latest announcement regarding $10 per day child care in Manitoba will be beneficial for many families, a local advocate says.

On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson announced that the province will achieve an average of $10-a-day regulated childcare on April 2, 2023. That is three years ahead of the national target.

Jodie Kehl, executive director at Manitoba Child Care Association, believes that an agreement between the province and the federal government can bring “monumental change.”

“Starting April 2, childcare will be maximum of $10 a day for all families. We’ll still have a subsidy system in place which means some families will pay less than ten dollars. We’ve had low fees for many years in Manitoba, still too expensive for many families. This will allow families to make other choices for their children. Allow them to put money into investments in education, in other activities. A game changer for many families,” she said in an interview with CTV Morning Live.

Families already in the system do not have to reapply for it, as they will automatically move that way, Kehl assured.

Many children who are waiting for their place are likely to experience daycare.

“Under Manitoba’s agreement, we have a goal of 23,000 new spaces over the next three years.”

Childcare is not only a physical space and supplies but also the workers who provide early education services.

“We’re going to need over 5,500 new staff into the system over the next three years.”

Kehl characterized Red River College’s program that trains early childhood educators as “phenomenally successful and supportive for a child-care assistant who wants to become an ECE. They can go to school two days a week and still continue to work three days a week.”

Supporting the current workforce is essential in terms of competitive salaries and working conditions. They directly correspond with the quality of childcare.

“These are the children’s learning conditions. Do [early childhood educators] have opportunities for paid professional development, time off the floor to do planning and documentation and meeting with families? Do they have a mentor?”

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace