Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the recent announcement by the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on the future investment and rollout of the publicly funded junior kindergarten plan, it begs to ask what is to become of well-established private daycare facilities or, in some cases, societies such as Montessori that provide similar programming? Today my questions will be for the Minister of ECE.
Has the Minister or his staff entered into any formal dialogue with owners of private daycare facilities or providers of similar competing programs to the publicly funded junior kindergarten plans?
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. During the transition period, since we’re talking about 2014-2015, we are making connections with the daycare operators and also those school boards that we have to work closely with. My department has been in development and also implementing actions to support the licenced programming that will be affected. Those are just some of the discussions that we have been having initially with ECE, the regional early childhood consultant that works with all the child care centres across the Northwest Territories. These are just some of the discussions that will be taking place from here until the start of the next school year, so the discussion is ongoing.
It’s comforting to know that the Minister is indicating that we’re going to be talking to some of these partners in due course here, but has the Minister or his staff designed any formal programming and partnering with this junior kindergarten plan with these established daycares and providers of similar programs? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, my department, as I have stated, is developing an action plan to help support licenced programs that may be affected during the transition of bringing the junior kindergarten into our school system. Both Education, Culture and Employment early childhood consultants and also headquarters staff will be working very closely with all the daycare operators throughout the Northwest Territories and during the introduction of junior kindergarten will provide options for parents, and in particular for our communities that do not have licenced child care programming. Those are just some of the areas that we will be working and very closely monitoring and supporting those individuals and organizations as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I was hoping to hear more about the partnering aspect, because I think that a lot of these facilities are a bit concerned here.
Has the Minister or his staff performed any risk assessment that may occur if such junior kindergarten initiatives create closures of private daycare or current program offerings in our communities? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the daycare centres can convert four-year-old spaces to spaces for children zero to three. The Member is asking about a risk assessment. The program operators simply need to contact their regional early childhood consultant to work with them – all those daycare operators – to make necessary changes to convert the four-year-old space to accommodate younger children. So those are areas we are working closely with them.
We also provide additional funding of an additional $780 to convert each four-year-old space to an under-24-month space. This investment should comfortably cover the costs of necessities such as cribs, infant tables and chairs and tables, toys and resources.
Those are some of the areas we continue to work on with the child care operators. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The purpose of my questions today are to create ladders of opportunity for our private daycare facilities and our private providers such as Montessori, and I’m hoping that the Minister can commit to when he will begin these formal discussions, these formal offerings with these private facilities so they can voice their concern. When will this start to occur? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, there has been preliminary discussion with the child care operators when we started talking about the early childhood development, the overall framework and the action plan. Part of that was introducing the junior kindergarten. All regions have early childhood regional consultants that are available to answer any questions or ideas that they may have or any assistance for these operators.
Under the Early Childhood Development Action Plan, my department has come out with having a comprehensive communication dialogue and also a plan. Within the plan, we’re developing a toll-free number that parents and operators and anyone interested can start conversing back and forth with our department, the specialists and consultants.
During the junior kindergarten implementation, we want to have a smooth transition, so we are providing those support mechanisms to these operators. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Blake.
