Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and I want to follow up on my statement and talk a little bit about daycare and subsidies and funding for daycares.
Late last fall the Department of Education undertook a review of the Early Childhood Program, and they advised licenced daycares and day homes last August that they would be undertaking this review and that they would want to get these day homes and daycares involved.
I’d like to ask the Minister right now… Sorry, the review was to be completed in October. So, I’d like to ask the Minister for an update on the status of this review. Was it completed in October as was scheduled? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. There’s been a review that’s been undertaken and I believe my department, since October, has been finalizing their input as well. So, I’ll have to get the latest status on that. I don’t have that detailed information in front of me as we speak. Mahsi.
To the Minister: Part of the review, as I understand it, was to look at the review, to review child care costs for parents and to particularly look at the impact that child care has on their cost of living and so on.
I’d like to ask the Minister, is that part of the review that either has gone on or is going on? Will the review be looking at costs of child care for parents? Thank you.
That particular review, I’m just getting some information here that it is due in March. Obviously, since we’re discussing that the overall review, we want to be on the right track.
Also, within the review process we want to touch on all funding aspects as well. What the Member is referring to will be captured. We’ve been hearing from the day home and daycare operators their concerns and opportunities that we may consider. Those are discussions that we are currently having.
Thanks to the Minister for the information on that completion date. I guess since the daycare operators, day home operators were advised that this would be done in October and now the Minister has just said it’s going to be completed in March, I’d like to know why there was a delay. I would also like to know from the Minister if he can provide me with a list of the daycare and day home operators who have been contacted for input into the review.
The review will be due in March, so that’s within the next couple of weeks. During the review the department obviously engaged the licenced daycare operators and also the staff, licenced family day home operators. Also, part of the process is Education, Culture and Employment regional early childhood consults. Those are the parties that have been involved along the process.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am hearing from residents that are involved in day homes and daycares that I don’t think they’ve heard from the department to provide input into this review.
I would again ask the Minister if he would commit to provide me at a later date a list of the people that have been contacted to provide input into the early childhood program review.
We will provide the latest update of all those we have engaged because it’s very important that we hear from the day home and the daycare operators from their perspectives and their concerns that are brought to our attention.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
