The Government of Prince Edward Island announced three new Early Years designated child-care centres and updated regulations for centres across the province.
Early Years centres fees will drop to $10-a-day as part of the changes.
“We know there is a need for more early learning and child care spaces in our province. By updating these regulations… we hope to see this sector continue to grow and thrive,” said Natalie Jameson, minister of education and early years, in a Wednesday news release.
Licensed Early Years centres receive funding through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement to follow a provincial curriculum with certified educators, the release says.
The three new Early Year designations are for:
- CHANCES Smart Start in Kensington, P.E.I.
- Family Place in Summerside, P.E.I.
- Shining Stars Childcare Centre Inc. in Stratford, P.E.I.
The Early Learning and Child Care Act regulations came into effect on Jan. 1, 2017, and was amended multiple times in 2018.
Directors and operators of licensed centres, early childhood educators and the Early Childhood Development Association met multiple times in 2022 and once in 2023 to discuss updating the regulations. The newly announced updates are the result of those meetings, the news release says.
Updates to the Early Learning and Child Care Act regulations include:
- changes to staff certification level titles and additional educational pathways to obtain certificates
- an increase to the maximum licensed capacity for licensed centres from 80 to 125
- an increase to the maximum infant group size in licensed centres from six to 12; along with associated requirements related to ratios, room size and nap rooms
- newly hired staff at licensed centres will have an eight-week window to obtain their CPR and first aid certifications, but at least one staff member with this training must be present in a licensed centre
The P.E.I. government hopes these changes will support centres and developers by allowing increased enrollment, adding more certification pathways and preventing delays in filling vacancies, the news release says.
