The governments of Canada and Manitoba announced today a significant expansion to child care spaces at post-secondary institutions, including 216 spaces at Assiniboine Community College.
In a media release July 20, the college said “Assiniboine’s approved child care spaces will be situated at the North Hill campus as part of the campus expansion and the Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture building.”
“These 216 spaces will go a long way to increasing access to childcare. This investment in child care alongside support for Assiniboine’s North Hill campus expansion is more than welcome news,” said Mark Frison, President of Assiniboine Community College. “We have long been invested in providing quality early learning programming and responding to labour market needs in this sector and others. These additional spaces will bolster both of these efforts.”
The release also said, “In January, the province committed an initial investment of $10 million toward Assiniboine’s Prairie Innovation Centre, a project the college has been working on since 2017. To date, the college has raised more than $17 million from private industry and community donors. Today’s announcement is another significant step forward. The space required for the childcare centre at the North Hill campus is 18,500 square feet, as part of the nearly 210,000 square foot facility.
Today’s announcement projected an investment of $45 million toward more than 680 additional childcare spaces in post-secondary institutions in Manitoba.”
“We know the childcare sector has a shortage of spaces and certified ECEs, and we’re thrilled to have the chance to contribute to both, thanks to the recent investments of the Province of Manitoba,” said Karen Hargreaves, Dean of Health and Human Services, who attended today’s announcement. “With today’s announcement, on the heels of last month’s significant investment in expanding early childhood programs, the future of early learning at Assiniboine is bright.”
Assiniboine currently has a 56-space child care centre at the college’s Victoria Avenue East campus, the Assiniboine Early Learning Centre. It has a wait list of 564.
