Today, Premier Brian Gallant announced the province will offer free child care for families with a combined annual income of $37,500 or less.
Gallant says access to free child care for lower income families will ensure parents are given every opportunity to enter the workforce or pursure their studies, while having the peace of mind their children are being taken care of in New Brunswick Early Learning Centres.
The crowd likes this news. The Premier says New Brunswick families making $37,000 or less a year will have access to free child care. pic.twitter.com/ixv3N1Ti48
— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) January 11, 2018
The free day care program is for working parents or for those who are attending school with kids who are 5 years old and under attending a designated New Brunswick Early Learning Centre.
Child and Youth Advocate Norm Bosse was on hand and calls the announcement “big time”, adding when kids end up in his office and they look back into their history poverty is often where it starts.
He says they will track this as an office and he is sure they will be speaking about it in the State of the Child report in the fall.
Gallant says this move combined with the others included in the Early Learning and Child Care action plan and the free tuitiion program have the power to end generational poverty.
Donna Gates of Living Saint John says for too long affordable child care was treated as a women’s issue when it’s an economic issue. pic.twitter.com/ElfS2nrhfg
— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) January 11, 2018
Mayor Don Darling speaks on the announcement. pic.twitter.com/tfylz5IutN
— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) January 11, 2018
To learn more about the many components of today’s announcement, click here
