Joint release with the Government of Canada
The Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon have reached an agreement on an extension to the Canada–Yukon Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
Through the agreement, the Government of Canada is providing over $10.1 million in funding over four years to the Yukon to improve access to high quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services. In addition, the Government of Canada is also making a one-time investment of nearly $2.5 million in 2021-2022 to support development of the Yukon’s local early childhood educator workforce with recruitment and retention efforts.
Under the 2021–2022 to 2024–2025 Canada–Yukon Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the Yukon will allocate funding to further build universal access to early learning and child care for all Yukon families, including increasing the current subsidy system, and increase training and certification opportunities for early childhood educators and program operators. The current Yukon Early Learning and Child Care Funding Program reduces parent fees by up to $700 per child per month for full-time participation in licensed child care programs and provides a minimum wage of nearly $30 an hour to fully qualified educators.
This four-year agreement builds on the commitments made in the Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework and ensures that funding continues to be available to support early learning and child care programs and services for Yukon families until March 2025.
These investments support the Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon’s shared commitment to provide Yukon parents with access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning child care.
Child care is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. High-quality early learning experiences are essential to the intellectual, emotional and physical development of our children. Our government will continue to fight for families and children in Yukon, to ensure they have access to affordable, accessible, flexible and inclusive child care because every child deserves the best possible start in life.
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Ahmed Hussen
This investment in training and development for early childhood educators will help grow our economy and ensure parents and children have access to early learning and childcare services in communities across the Yukon. Our government is committed to delivering a universal child care program that is accessible, affordable and high-quality. This agreement renewal and expansion is an important step in building a strong, local workforce of high quality educators and will increase the number of early learning and child care spaces for parents and children across the Yukon.
Yukon’s Minister of Education Jeanie McLean
The Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon recently signed a new Canada-Yukon Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, providing nearly $42 million in additional federal funding over the next five years to support the Yukon’s efforts to ensure that all families have access to regulated child care for $10 a day.
The Government of Canada has invested over $9.6 million in early learning and child care in the Yukon since 2017.
Through previous investments in early learning and child care, the Government of Canada helped to create over 40,000 more affordable child care spaces across the country prior to the pandemic, including over 1,500 spaces in the Yukon.
Budgets 2016 and 2017 provided federal investments in early learning and child care totalling $7.5 billion over 11 years to support and create more high-quality, affordable child care across the country, including dedicated investment for Indigenous early learning and child care.
Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca
Mikaela Harrison
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen
mikaela.harrison@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Erin MacDonald
Director, Community Relations and Engagement
Yukon Department of Education
erin.macdonald@yukon.ca
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca