An organization advocating for childcare in the province says Manitoba needs to create more spaces to help ensure families have increased access to daycare and childcare services. The Child Care Coalition of Manitoba called on the province to create at least 77,000 new childcare spaces in the province to ensure there are enough spaces for 59 per cent of children, based on a target in place in multiple provinces, such as Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. “We know that for parents to be successful, we need affordable, high-quality childcare available to everyone who needs it,” said Madelaine Dwyer with the coalition. “Working parents, especially working mothers, need this access to enter or get back into the paid workforce.” The coalition did praise the province for several initiatives to increase childcare, such as increasing the number of spaces that cost $10/day, adding additional spaces, and increasing wages for early childhood educators. However, it says currently only 22 per cent of kids in the province have access to childcare due to lengthy waitlists and limited options of parents working evenings, weekends and shiftwork. They’re calling for partnerships with non-profit centres and public providers to help families working those shifts access childcare. The coalition is also calling on the province to make changes to the current system that requires parent volunteers to fundraise 40 per cent of the capital costs of building or renovating childcare spaces and overseeing the planning and construction. “We don’t ask parents to fundraise to build schools, and for the very same reason, we should not ask parents and communities to come up with capital they don’t have for services they need,” said Susan Prentice with the coalition. In a statement, a spokesperson for Tracy Schmidt, minister of education and early childhood learning, says the province has opened 5,650 spaces since 2023 but notes more are needed.“There are 88 capital projects in development across the province, which builds on the 55 child care projects we’ve opened since October 2023,” the spokesperson said.
