Federal child-care funding extension a 'big step' for N.L., says advocate

Parents in Newfoundland and Labrador can breathe a sigh of relief as the province signs a deal that will extend the federal child-care program.

The five-year deal, starting in 2026, distributes $503 million to fund child care in Newfoundland and Labrador. It also increases the base funding by three per cent per year for four years starting in 2027.

In November 2024, a provincial government release said there are roughly 10,900 $10-a-day spaces in the province, with over 2,000 more on the way.

Each and every one of those spaces are in high demand. 

Yolande Pottie-Sherman, chair of Child Care Now N.L., says the additional funding is a "big step" in making child care accessible for all children and families who need it. 

"[It's] just relief … just as a parent of a young child who is in child care, just to know that, you know, I don't have to necessarily worry about that on top of my long list of things that I'm worried about," said Pottie-Sherman.

WATCH | This child-care advocacy group is applauding new federal funding: 

Some relief in N.L. as province signs child-care deal with Ottawa

2 days ago

Duration 2:05

It’s an agreement worth $500 million, and will keep $10-a-day daycare going in Newfoundland and Labrador until 2031. The head of Child Care Now N.L. talks with the CBC’s Jen White about what needs to happen now, to make sure parents can find a space for their child.

The announcement came at an important moment during an election year, Pottie-Sherman told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. 

"This is a really important step in at least safeguarding that funding," she said.

The funding means Newfoundland and Labrador is able to keep adding more child-care spaces at just $10 a day until 2031, and that there's more time to plan development.

In a highly competitive environment, Pottie-Sherman said there is more to be done.

The Child Care Now N.L. chair is calling for fair and reliable working conditions and wages for those who help the system run. 

"This is a field with a lot of turnover," said Pottie-Sherman. "We need things like mandatory paid sick days.… We need to find some equity across the board and the government really needs to play a hand in that."

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