Newfoundland and Labrador has half the national average rate for regulated child-care spaces in the Province, scoring only at 14% for children ages 12 and under.
In Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador ranks among the lowest in the province. The national average is 29%, but when measuring the precent of children who have access to regulated child-care spaces, Newfoundland, and Labrador hits at 14% lower than only Nunavut and Saskatchewan.
This data was collected in 2021, as the report is still new.
Executive Director of the child-care resource unit based out of Toronto, Martha Friendly, said-
“Now that we have this opportunity with the fees having dropped and the commitment to long-term federal funding, the question is how are we going to build this system in a province that’s always had low child-care coverage?”
John Haggie, Minister of Education said that the Provincial Government is working on improving this situation, and has plans to add 700 seats for the College Of The North Atlantic’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program.