National

B.C. sets out funding plan for child care teachers

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Feb, 2022 02:14 PM

BURNABY, B.C. - The B.C. government has announced its plans for nearly $50 million in federal funding that will be used to train, recruit and retain more early childhood educators.

Join Ravi Kavlon, BC’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation; and Katrina Chen, BC’s Minister of State for Child Care, on supports for early childhood educators. #StrongerBC https://t.co/LhZA44H1md
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) February 18, 2022

Katrina Chen, B.C.'s minister of state for child care, announced Friday that $25.5 million will provide bursaries for students entering the field over the next three to four years.

She says more than $11 million will go toward recruiting and retaining early childhood educators, while another $7.5 million will be spent on professional development and peer mentoring.

The government anticipates there will be more than 10,000 job openings for certified early childhood educators and assistants over the next decade.

Chen says a main goal is to provide stability and ensure they stay in the field, noting a wage increase of over $4 an hour in the 2021 budget brings the median wage to about $25 an hour.

Economic Recovery Minister Ravi Kahlon says making sure parents have access to quality and affordable childcare so they can fully participate in the workforce is a key pillar of the government's economic plan.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Endangered orca off B.C. likely dead: researchers

A statement from the Center for Whale Research in Washington state says a 47-year-old female identified as L47 has not been seen for nearly seven months and is likely dead.

Endangered orca off B.C. likely dead: researchers

Stanley Park reopens following coyote cull

The Vancouver Park Board says a small number of coyotes are still believed to be in the park but they are not an immediate threat to the public. The park has been reopened to 24-hours a day.

Stanley Park reopens following coyote cull

Schools, parents to be notified about COVID cases

Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that parents and teachers from across the province have let it be known they need to be informed about the transmission of the virus and that a new system is expected to be in place by the end of the week.

Schools, parents to be notified about COVID cases

525 COVID19 cases for Tuesday

Of the active cases, 332 individuals are currently in hospital and 155 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

525 COVID19 cases for Tuesday

Federal leaders face postelection uncertainty

It was a political landscape virtually unchanged from mid-August, when Trudeau pulled the plug only two years into his minority mandate and sent Canadians to the polls in the hopes of riding a post-vaccine campaign high to secure a majority.

Federal leaders face postelection uncertainty

O'Toole triggers review of Conservative campaign

Mail-in ballots still need to be counted, but so far projections show the Conservatives finishing with 119 seats, compared to the Liberals with 158, returning the Grits to Parliament with a minority government.