April 1, 2024
TORONTO, ON – YMCA Canada welcomes the federal government’s additional budget commitments to build more affordable child care spaces, helping build an economy that is fair for every generation.
As Canada’s largest non-profit child care provider, the YMCA has been advocating for high-quality non-profit early learning and child care that is accessible, affordable, and inclusive for families, and a workforce strategy that recognizes and builds the essential labour force of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs). YMCA Canada is thrilled to see the historic investment of $1 billion for a Child Care Expansion Loan Program, a $48 million investment in student loan forgiveness for ECEs working in rural and remote areas, and a $10 million investment over 2 years to increase training for ECEs.
The Expansion Loan program will support YMCAs to expand their services; the commitment to increasing training for Early Childhood Educators will support YMCAs with recruitment; and the student loan forgiveness program will provide additional support to YMCAs in underserved areas.
“These newly announced child care measures mark a significant step forward in addressing the challenges YMCAs experience expanding our services to fully deliver on the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program,” says Peter Dinsdale, President and CEO, YMCA Canada. “We believe this investment will support YMCAs across the country in being able to reduce their waitlists and provide support to more families in their communities.”
YMCAs across the country look forward to continuing to work with the Government of Canada on the implementation of these investments to ensure all families can access high-quality, accessible, affordable, and inclusive child care.