Manitoba Government invests in new child care programs in public schools and health care facilities
February 19, 2025
The province of Manitoba and federal government announced the creation of over 700 new child care spaces for children up to age six across Manitoba.
Approximately half of these spaces (324) child-care spaces will be created in health-care facilities in Winnipeg and Brandon.
- Brandon Regional Health Centre (140 spaces)
- St. Boniface Hospital (104 spaces)
- Riverview Health Centre (80 spaces)
The spaces in these health care facilities are being created by allocating $20.9 million of federal funding. The details of how this funding will be used is outlined in the province’s Action Plan under the Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund.
The province is partnering with Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) to develop on-site child care
According to the Action Plan, “ELCC Infrastructure Funding will be provided to RHAs and partners to support the cost of feasibility studies, design, construction, and/or renovation of the child care centres in exchange for space/ land, building support services (maintenance and repair) and free rent for the child care operator for a minimum of 25 years.”
The Action Plan states, “the availability of high quality, affordable child care in health care settings allows staff to return to work sooner after maternity and/or parental leave. In particular, on-site child care in hospitals provides accessible, reliable and flexible care for those working extended and/or non-standards hours.” These new spaces are intended to support doctors and nurses, and especially lower-income health care workers such as health care aids, housekeepers, laundry attendants and dietary aids.
Each facility will receive start-up and operating grant funding to support the ongoing costs of the child care centre, as set out in Manitoba’s Child Care Regulation.
Additional spaces to be created in schools and post-secondary institutions
The remaining promised spaces will be created in schools and post secondary facilities.
260 of these spaces will open in six schools and 128 new spaces will open at Red River College Polytechnic and University College of the North’s Thompson campus. These spaces are in addition to previously announced spaces at nine other post-secondary campuses, bringing the total of over 800 new spaces at post-secondary institutions in Manitoba representing $60.5 million in public investment.
Increased spending on professional development and other investments
The province also announced that the provincial and federal governments will spend $5.8 million for a tuition reimbursement program that provides early childhood education students with up to $5,000.
Other investments in professional training and curriculum include:
- funding to the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) to continue its programming that educates and helps employ up to 50 Ukrainian newcomers;
- funding to train 30 Indigenous students to work in child care at the Urban Circle Training Centre in Winnipeg;
- an Outdoor Early Childhood Education Grant to “create new natures education programming.” The grants are up to $25,000 for licensed non-profit centres and nursery schools, and $2,500 for licensed home-based providers.