On behalf on Minister Matt Jones, Minister of Infrastructure Pete Guthrie announces proposed amendments to the Early Learning and Child Care Amendment Act, 2024. (Government of Alberta/YouTube)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

AMENDMENTS PROPOSED

Alberta taking steps toward better protecting children in child care

Oct 30, 2024 | 4:15 PM

The provincial government is proposing changes to the Early Learning and Child Care Amendment Act, 2024, designed to help ensure child safety by strengthening its ability to hold non-compliant providers accountable and speed up its ability to address issues in care.

The amendments would also allow the child-care licensing team to impose penalties on license holders and educators who don’t meet quality standards and jeapordize child safety, which officials say would align the province with other Canadian jurisdictions.

“Albertans deserve to have confidence in their child-care system. They deserve transparent, high-quality and safe care for their kids,” said Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade Matt Jones. “When parents, guardians and caregivers go to work or school, they need to know their children are safe in their child-care setting. The Early Learning and Child Care Amendment Act, 2024, would strengthen the tools available to enforce quality care and give parents peace of mind that their government has their back.”

Government officials say the changes would also help parents make more informed choices about their child’s care by making non-compliance accounts, stop orders, and the certification status of early childhood educators more accessible.

Further, with the intention of minimizing the impacts of closures to families and their children, the province’s amendments would allow it to target specific issues at a facility by only closing part of a program, rather than the entire thing.

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“As a program manager of a mid-sized child-care centre, I am proud to support the Early Learning and Child Care Amendment Act,” commented Bernice Taylor, program manager for the Early Childcare Development Centre. “As an established child-care provider, parents in my community trust in me to provide quality care. I am more than happy to provide parents with every reassurance they need so they can go to work and know their kids are safe, healthy and well taken care of in my facility. It is great to see the province stepping up and putting forward these important changes.”

If passed, the government says the updated Early Learning and Child Care Act would address the recommendation from the Food Safety and Licensed Facility-Based Child Care Review Panel to clearly state that all facility-based licence holders must comply with applicable zoning, health and safety legislation.