Manitoba's new funding model for nursery schools may mean fee hike for some parents, director warns

Some Manitoba parents may have to pay more to send their children to nursery school, after the province announced it will provide the same funding to all centres for the same work.

The Manitoba government faced an outcry from the nursery school communitythis summer when it said it was thinking of axingthe enhanced nursery grant a pool of money that allows nearly 70nursery programs to chargeas little as $5 a day for a spot.

The province argued at the time it wasn't fair for some nursery schools to receivemore moneythan others.

But on Tuesday, the government announced it would developa single funding model for all nursery schools, startingin 2021.

When CBC News asked if that means the enhanced grant will be cut, a provincial spokesperson didn't answer directly, only saying a "number" of schools are in line for a funding increase.

But if the province follows through with its initial plan, some schools are expecting amajor financial hit.

If these centres are relegated to an existing non-enhanced funding formula,St. James Montessori School would lose tens of thousands of dollarsin fundingand parent fees would at least double to $10 a day, saidexecutive director Laura Burla.

"It's very disheartening," said Burla, who organized a petition against the proposed changes this summer, garnering 5,300 signatures.

"The language that they've chosen to use when describing the enhanced nursery school model leads me to believe that they don't see much value from it.There are many Manitobans across the province who would strongly disagree."

She disagrees with the province's assertionthe funding systemwas an "inequitable approach" that meant some parents were paying more for the same service.

As it stands, 66 of Manitoba's approximately 162 nursery schools receive $4,180 per child-care space per year, andthe remaining 96 programscollect $528 for the same space per year, according to government figures from thesummer.

"There was never a system in place to ensure lower-cost spaces were held for lower-income families that need them," a news release from the province said.

But Burla said the enhanced funding meantadequate financial support for nursery schools that got it, which in turn allowed them tooffer moreprogramming and hire additional staff.

She says the previous NDP government, which introduced the funding structure, extendedthe increased grants to more and more child-care centres over time, she said.

Now, she worries the province willoffer less money to these facilities, in the name of fairness.

Jodie Kehl, executive director of the Manitoba Child CareAssociation, said she was assured by a government official that no money will be taken out of the nursing school system and no families will be impacted.

That sounds good, Kehl said, as long as nocentre receives a smaller financial grant than they're already getting.

'Consistent contributions' from government, parents

The province said more details on the single funding model will berevealed to nursery school programs in the coming days, butdidn't say when the new model would take effect.

'"Our government will establish a fair and equitable funding model for all nursery school programs, with consistent contributions from the government and from parents," Families Minister Heather Stefanson said in a news release.

The province also announced Tuesdayit will streamline the licensing process for child-care centres. It said centreswith good track records will be able to renew their licence every three years, rather than annually.

"This government has caused nothing but chaos and confusion for working families and early childhood educators throughout this pandemic," Danielle Adams, the NDP's critic for early learning and child-care, said in a statement. "It's the last thing families need right now."

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said the province should be supporting existing centres, creating new spaces and paying workers properly.

"Instead, we're getting more right-wing social engineering and a promise of fewer inspections," he said byemail.

The child-care sector is still waiting for the results of a review ofearly learning and child-carefunding in the province commisioned fromthe accounting firm KPMG in 2019.

The government says it hasreceived a draft report.