The Canada and Manitoba governments are investing $294,000 to support the first licensed child-care centre in the community of St-Georges, Manitoba Families Minister Heather Stefanson and Federal Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced today.
“Work is already underway to convert a classroom into the new child-care centre, which is certain to become an essential resource for young families and a hub for fun and learning,” said Stefanson. “Our government is proud to partner with the community on this exciting project, which will provide care and support to children for years to come. We know high-quality, affordable child care is important to Manitobans and this funding will help ensure more families in more communities have access.”
Les P’tits Loups Inc. received a capital grant of $220,000 and will also receive annual operating funding of $66,800 and a start-up grant of $7,200 from the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Agreement.
“Every child deserves high quality and inclusive early learning and child care,” said Duclos. “I am pleased that the Government of Canada and the government of Manitoba are working together to give more families and children access to licensed child-care spaces across Manitoba.”
The new child-care centre will be located in the community’s kindergarten to Grade 12 École communautaire Saint-Georges. The centre will accommodate 16 preschoolers once complete, and will complement the existing nursery school, which is also in the same building.
“We are happy that the project is finally underway and we have a team that is working hard toward the opening of the centre this fall,” said Nadine Thomas, president, Les P’tits Loups Inc. “We are pleased to offer the long-awaited services of a francophone day care centre.”
“We are pleased to receive this financial support, as providing access to French-language services in early childhood in our school communities is a priority,” said Bernard Lesage, president of the Commission scolaire franco-manitobaine. “Since the first years of life are crucial to the development of children, child-care centres such as Les P'tits Loups of École communautaire Saint-Georges are essential to their success.”
Construction began earlier this year and the centre is expected to open in the fall of 2019.
Support for this project was first announced in April 2018 as part of a commitment to create 780 new child-care spaces through new construction, funded by the ELCC agreement.
More information about early learning and child care in Manitoba is available at: www.gov.mb.ca/fs/childcare.
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For more information:
- Public information, contact Manitoba Government Inquiry: 1-866-626-4862 or 204-945-3744.
- Media requests for general information, contact Communications Services Manitoba: 204-945-3765.
- Media requests for ministerial comment, contact Communications and Stakeholder Relations: 204-945-4916.
