New fund aims to increase number of child-care providers in Canada

A new fund from the Government of Canada will provide provinces and territories with an additional $625 million in order to expand the number of child-care providers in the country.

The Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund aims to cover the physical infrastructure costs for new child-care facilities by paying for real estate and building materials.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was with the Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, in Mississauga on Wednesday to make the announcement.

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The fund is part of a plan to create approximately 250,000 new child-care spaces in Canada.

The government is focusing on providing these spaces in underserved communities, such as rural and remote regions, and urban neighbourhoods with high-cost and low-income.

Communities that face barriers to access such as racialized groups, Indigenous Peoples, and newcomers will also be prioritized.

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Funding will support provinces and territories in their planning, design, construction, and renovation of non-profit child-care spaces.

The fund will exclusively support not-for-profit and publicly-regulated early learning and child-care providers.

The federal budget in 2021 promised $30 billion in new spending on the national child-care system over five years, as well as an additional $9.2 billion annually following that.

The government says it is on track to achieve $10-a-day child care by 2026.