Funding to increase for Manitoba child-care workers’ wages

A little more cash could be going to licensed and funded child-care professionals in Manitoba after July 1.

On Friday, the provincial and federal governments announced that funding for wages in 2024-25 will increase by 2.75 per cent on Canada Day, with $10.3 million coming from Ottawa and $600,000 from Manitoba.

In a media release, the province said “this additional funding helps facilities increase wages to meet the wage grid levels.” Manitoba’s early learning and child-care wage grid sets recommended starting, and target, wages for different roles in the sector, it said.

Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Nello Altomare said the funding will help the province reach its target of expanding the child-care system by 23,000 spaces by 2026.

The province also announced that base operating grants for licensed and provincially funded child-care facilities increased on April 1, by five per cent, at a cost of $6.42 million to Manitoba and $2.55 million to Ottawa.

The funding comes from a five-year agreement between the federal and provincial governments, which was signed in August 2021.

As a part of the agreement, Manitoba will get $1.2 billion in federal funding over the five years for its $10-a-day child-care programs, and to improve access to facility spaces.

The province is also conducting a review into the wage and benefits framework for employees in the sector, it said.

“Consultations with the sector are underway and the review is expected to be completed in 2025,” Altomare said.