The Manitoba government has made a commitment to create 12,000 additional child care spaces within five to seven years.
The commitment was made during Monday's speech from the throne.
According to the Manitoba Child Care Association, 12,729 families were waiting for child care on the province’s online registry as of September 30.
Alyssa Cochrane, 18, a single mom going to the University of Manitoba, said her eight-month-old son Laken has been on the wait list for four months.
Cochrane said it’s stressful waiting to find out if a spot will open.
Cochrane said she’s happy to hear new spots will be created, but can’t wait much longer.
She said her brother is currently looking after her son when she’s at class; however, if the wait gets any longer, her son may have to temporarily live with her mother two hours outside of Winnipeg while Cochrance attends school.
The government also promised to train more early childhood educators through programs at Red River College and St. Boniface University.
Premier Greg Selinger said a provincial task force is working on determining how many new early childhood educators will be needed.
“It will generate a lot of employment opportunities,” said Selinger.
Selinger said the exact cost of the plan has yet to be determined.
"It's obviously going to require some ramping up and it's going to require some resources," said Selinger.
He’s hoping for help from the federal government but said the province will include the cost of the plan as an item in the provincial budget.
