The governments of Canada and Manitoba are allocating $13.5 million to help child-care centres expand infant and preschool spaces through the 2023-24 Renovation Expansion Grant, Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko announced in a media release this week.
“The Renovation Expansion Grant encourages facilities to invest in existing infrastructure and expand site capacity with additional infant or preschool spaces that will be sustainable for years to come,” said Ewasko. “Our government’s investments are already making a difference in communities with centres that have received this funding since 2021. By continuing to offer this grant, existing operators will be able to help more families access affordable child care, which supports our commitment to develop 23,000 affordable, accessible, high-quality and inclusive child-care spaces by 2026 under the Canada-Manitoba Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.”
Through an expression of interest for 2023-24, the grant will provide $30,000 per space up to a maximum of $2 million in capital grant funding per project, to increase physical space capacity within existing centres.
The Manitoba government estimates the funding will create up to an additional 450 spaces for children under the age of seven, Ewasko noted, adding that funding provided through the grant will support renovation, administrative and programming costs to create new spaces.
“We know that our investments in early learning and child care infrastructure are key to improving access to high-quality, affordable early learning and child care – especially in communities that need it most,” said federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould. “The new licensed spaces created through these investments will help make life more affordable for hard-working families and help them give their children the best possible start in life.”
There are more than 640 licensed non-profit child-care centres in Manitoba that are eligible to apply for the 2023-2024 grant, the minister noted.
This year’s grant builds on the success of $3.4 million in renovation expansion grants issued and funded under the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Agreement since 2021. These grants provided existing child-care centres funding to fill or create a new group of infant or preschool spaces through renovations. With these grants, 14 centres have already created 120 new spaces for children under the age of seven.
The deadline to submit an expression of interest for the 2023-24 Renovation Expansion Grant is Sept. 15.
For more information on child care in Manitoba and to learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.manitoba.ca/education/childcare/resources/renovation_expansion_grant.html
