E.L.C.C. & Community Development
Sector News
Canadian child care news, gathered and cited — updated through the week.
A place at the table: Quebec tribunal rules severe allergies comparable to a disability
Quebec’s Human Rights Tribunal ordered a Montreal day care to pay $5,000 for refusing a place to a child with severe allergies, rejecting the argument that supervision would be too difficult. The centre was running 27 children against a licence for 41.
In Banff, a place at day care costs $1,350 because the province says the town has enough
A new Banff centre will open at $1,350 a month instead of the subsidized $326, after Alberta declined affordability funding on the grounds that the town already has adequate child care. The mayor points to 108 families on the waitlist.
What a school-age day costs, and who is counting
Ontario has put a number on before- and after-school care: $24.37 a day in licensed centres for children six to twelve, against $13.18 for kindergarten. Four provinces moved on school-age care in three weeks. Almost nobody counted it.
B.C. funds about 1,200 new before- and after-school spaces across 22 school districts
School districts across British Columbia will open roughly 1,200 new licensed before- and after-school child care spaces over the next
Shift workers shut out: N.S. families can’t find care outside 7-to-6
Nova Scotia families who work outside standard business hours are finding licensed child care almost impossible to secure, CBC reported
CCPA fee report: most Canadian families still pay well above $10 a day
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released its 2026 child care fee report on August 19, tracking median licensed fees
Ottawa invests $5.4M to strengthen the early childhood educator workforce
The Government of Canada has launched a new initiative to support the early childhood educator workforce, investing up to $5.4
Alberta educators propose a $1.7B wage grid as the province holds its course
The Association of Early Childhood Educators of Alberta has released a revised provincial wage scale, its second attempt in three
Manitoba opens 1,075 new child care spaces since late 2025
The governments of Canada and Manitoba announced on August 13 that 1,075 new infant, preschool, nursery and school-age spaces have
Ontario’s updated child care regulations took effect July 1
Amendments to Ontario’s Child Care and Early Years Act regulations came into force July 1, 2026, covering faster access to
Alberta fast-tracks 41 school projects — will child care space be part of the plan?
Alberta accelerated 41 public school projects on July 9 under the $8.6-billion Schools Now program, moving more than 39,000 new
Ottawa commits up to $5.4B as CWELCC heads into renegotiation
The federal government has announced up to $5.4 billion over two years, covering 2026-27 and 2027-28, to maintain affordable early
Now it’s Canada’s turn
The National AfterSchool Association reports that new US federal workforce priorities have started to line up with what the afterschool
Lawson Foundation: An Environmental Scan of Outdoor and Land-Based Early Learning in Canada
The Lawson Foundation has released a comprehensive new environmental scan of outdoor and land-based early learning in Canada, and it
Nova Scotia invests $4.5M to add 77 child care spaces in Lunenburg
The Lunenburg Day Care Centre is receiving about $4.5 million from the Province of Nova Scotia to expand its facility,
StatCan: job quality shapes when mothers return to work after parental leave
A new Statistics Canada study released July 22 revisits when and whether mothers return to work after parental leave, with
Staffing shortages leave new N.S. child care classrooms sitting empty
A CBC News report on July 16 found that a newly built child care centre in Bridgewater, N.S., has two
Resilience made practical: notes from the Alberta Family Wellness symposium
At the Palix Foundation and Alberta Family Wellness Initiative’s 2026 Edmonton symposium, Deputy Minister Evan Romanow shared how Alberta’s Ministry
BC just tied child care to a billion-dollar federal deal. It’s time for other provinces to pay attention.
British Columbia and the federal government have signed the Canada-British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement, a multi-billion-dollar package headlined by infrastructure
A new Lawson Foundation scan finds outdoor and land-based early learning stalls at the regulations
A new environmental scan commissioned by the Lawson Foundation, led by researchers Dr. Beverlie Dietze, Dr. Kelsey Robson and Dr.
New analysis: Ontario’s $10aDay child care added an estimated $13.6 billion to GDP
A new economic analysis by Dr. Jim Stanford of the Centre for Future Work, published by the Ontario Coalition for
Seven principles that should shape Alberta’s next child care funding model
The Council for Early Learning and Care (CELC) has published seven policy-design principles for building an affordable early learning and
ARCQE’s National Child Day Becomes the “Child Day Conference”
The Alberta Resource Centre for Quality Enhancement (ARCQE) has announced a new identity for its long-running National Child Day initiative:
Toronto launches a one-time grant for school-age child care programs
The City of Toronto has introduced a new One-Time School Age Grant for 2026 to support licensed school-age programs running
‘Educators Matter’ vision and roadmap charts a path to a highly qualified child care workforce
Child Care Now’s National Early Learning and Child Care Workforce Policy Table has released A vision and roadmap for increasing
New guide: Implementing the Seamless Day Model for school-board extended-day programs
The Waterloo Region District School Board, Building Blocks for Child Care, and the Atkinson Centre (OISE, University of Toronto) have
Play England launches “It All Starts With Play” – a 10-year national play strategy
Play England, led by Executive Director Eugene Minogue, has launched “It All Starts With Play!”, a 10-year strategy to restore
Imagine Institute for Learning: a human-centred model for educator professional learning
The Imagine Institute for Learning has, since 2001, helped people who work with children and families strengthen their practice through
Educator mental health is a workforce retention issue
The Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development (OISE, University of Toronto) used its June 23, 2026 weekly e-News to
Free Protectors of Play™ Professional Learning Journal launches for Canadian educators
Alberta early childhood educator and consultant Tina Geers, president of Inspired Minds ECC Consulting Inc., has released the Protectors of
New research pegs CWELCC’s economic impact at $2.7 billion a year
A new report from the Centre for the Study of Living Standards estimates that the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child
National Workforce Policy Table releases roadmap for raising educator qualifications
The National Early Learning and Child Care Workforce Policy Table — a group of early childhood education experts and practitioners
Saskatchewan’s one-grant-per-space funding model takes effect amid provider concerns
Saskatchewan’s new child care funding model came into effect July 1, limiting the provincial grant that bridges $10-a-day parent fees
Statistics Canada releases 2025 data on child care arrangements and parental costs
Statistics Canada has released results from the 2025 Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements, focusing on trends in
CCPA’s tenth annual fee report: six provinces and territories at or below $10 a day
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has released its tenth annual child care fee survey, assessing progress toward the April
Ottawa signs five-year, $37-billion child care extensions with 11 provinces and territories
The federal government has announced five-year extensions to the Canada-wide early learning and child care agreements with 11 provinces and
Canada and Alberta agree to one-year extension of early learning and child care agreements
Ottawa and Alberta have agreed to a one-year extension of their early learning and child care agreements, keeping federal support
Yukon secures five-year, $74-million extension of its child care agreements
The Government of Yukon and the Government of Canada have signed a five-year extension of the Canada-Yukon Early Learning and
B.C. invests $62 million to create more than 750 new licensed child care spaces
British Columbia is investing more than $62 million through its accelerated space-creation programs to build more than 750 new licensed
New CCPA report examines the ‘last mile’ of provincial child care expansion
With the Canada-wide system reaching its five-year deadline, a new CCPA report looks at how provinces are doing on creating
Quebec to prioritize long-term residents for subsidized child care after top court ruling
Following a Supreme Court ruling, Quebec says it will prioritize long-term residents for subsidized child care spots – a significant
Statistics Canada launches national Canadian Child Care Worker Survey
Statistics Canada fielded the Canadian Child Care Worker Survey from February 2 to May 31, 2026, gathering information directly from
Saskatchewan signs five-year, $1.6-billion extension – $10-a-day now follows kids through kindergarten
The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan have announced a five-year extension to their early learning and child care agreements, running
Ontario sets 2026 space creation targets for CWELCC expansion
Ontario has confirmed municipal space creation targets in pursuit of its commitment to 86,000 net new licensed child care spaces
$47 million in federal funding for Indigenous early learning quality improvement projects
The federal government launched its fourth call for proposals for Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Quality Improvement Projects, with
Fleming College launches online ECE Leadership Development specialization
Fleming College has launched a new online ECE Leadership Development specialization, beginning May 2026, to help frontline educators step into
Auditor General: child care fees down to $16.50 a day on average, but space targets at risk
The Auditor General of Canada’s performance audit of the Canada-wide system found real progress on affordability: average out-of-pocket fees for
2026 national survey of child care providers now underway at Statistics Canada
The 2026 Canadian Survey on the Provision of Child Care Services collected data from February 11 to June 30, 2026,
MCCA publishes 2026-2027 Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale
The Manitoba Child Care Association has published its Market Competitive Salary Guideline Scale for 2026–2027, setting out recommended wages by
CCCF expands online professional learning with three new courses
The Canadian Child Care Federation is expanding its online professional learning in response to member feedback, adding three new courses:
ECEBC’s 55th annual conference celebrates ‘Thriving in Kinship’
Early Childhood Educators of BC hosted its 55th annual conference, “Thriving in Kinship: Inspire. Uplift. Celebrate,” from May 7–9, 2026
AECEO marks 75 years with Members’ Retreat and Advocacy Summit
The Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario celebrated its 75th anniversary with a Members’ Retreat and Advocacy Summit held May
First Nations Early Learning and Child Care Conference gathers educators in Winnipeg
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs hosted the 2026 First Nations Early Learning and Child Care Conference on February 24–25, 2026
Manitoba announces largest ECE wage boost in its history – up to $5 an hour more
A conference of child care educators erupted in cheers as Manitoba announced what the province calls the largest boost to
MacEwan’s CanPlay Lab hosts Play Knowledge Exchange with Alberta educators
MacEwan University’s CanPlay Research Lab held a Play Knowledge Exchange Event on February 12, 2026, bringing early childhood educators, researchers,
AECEO and OCBCC call for $35-$45 per hour RECE wage grid in 2026 pre-budget submission
The Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, together with the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, has submitted its 2026
New ‘As of Right’ rule lets out-of-province ECEs start working in Ontario sooner
As of January 1, 2026, early childhood educators certified in another Canadian province or territory can work in Ontario for
PLAYshop training expands to build young children’s physical literacy through play
Outdoor Play Canada has spotlighted the PLAYshop intervention, a 60–75 minute virtual or in-person workshop that helps adults weave physical-literacy-based
Saskatchewan’s new child care funding model now in effect as providers voice concerns
As of July 1, 2026, Saskatchewan pays the monthly Parent Fee Reduction Grant — the funding that bridges the gap
Child Care Now spotlights public delivery of licensed child care
National advocacy association Child Care Now published a May 2026 spotlight on the growing role of publicly delivered licensed child
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