Manitoba to fund new child-care centres at 4 schools

The Manitoba government says it's teaming up with public schools in Winnipeg and two rural communities to open child-care centres that will create a total of 158 new spaces for children.

Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross and Education Minister James Allum announced Friday that the province will provide funding to the new centres, which will be based in the following schools:

• R.F. Morrison School (Winnipeg) eight infant, 32 preschool spaces.
• Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (Winnipeg) 20 infant, 54 preschool spaces.
• Rivers Collegiate (Rivers, Man.) eight infant, 24 preschool spaces.
• Strathclair Community School (Strathclair, Man.) four infant, eight preschool spaces.

"Families must balance busy lives between their children and their jobs or furthering their own education," Allum said in a news release.

"These new child-care centres will allow families to access affordable spaces where their children are in a safe, quality environment with well-trained staff providing their children the tools to succeed in school and in life."

The announcement is part of the province's plan, outlined in this week's throne speech, to provide 12,000 child-care spaces and ultimately eliminate wait times for families.

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As part of that plan, the province has committed to boosting the number of early childhood educators with the help of post-secondary schools.

Irvin-Ross announced on Friday that starting Jan. 1, child-care centres will receive a two per cent increase in their operating grants to raise wages. As well, long-term workers will receive wage enhancement grants, she said.