Last week, the Government of Canada and the GNWT announced that as of Apr. 1, 2024, the NWT will have reached an average $10-a-day childcare.

Caitlin Cleveland, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, said the number was reached two years ahead of schedule and that it鈥檚 important to note that the $10-a-day amount is the average cost around the NWT.

鈥淚t means that while some families may pay more than $10 a day, others may pay less than $10 a day. On average though, licensed child care fees across the territory work out to $10 a day,鈥� she said in the legislative assembly on Feb. 22.

That鈥檚 because of a combination of free programs and those that charge fees, she added.

But while child care will become cheaper for some, there鈥檚 still a long way to go, said Patricia Davison, chair of the NWT Early Childhood Association (NWTECA).

It starts with what 鈥榓verage鈥� really means.

鈥淲hen I asked about that, I was told that how they came up with that average is they took all of the programs across the NWT and all of the fees that are paid, and they averaged it out,鈥� Davison explained.

The catch is that there are many programs that do not have any family fees being sponsored by Indigenous groups that negotiate funding with the federal government instead, said Davison.

Those programs are of no cost to the families, she added.

鈥淪o what that means is there鈥檒l be a number of spaces that will still be charging family fees well above the $10, a day after April 1.鈥�

Davison said that most families who are paying for childcare will be paying more than $10 a day.

鈥淣othing has really changed for families that I can see in the next month,鈥� she said.

鈥淢aybe they鈥檒l come out with some money, but I think if they were going to do that, they would have made the announcement the same day, right? They鈥檙e not going to make a second announcement. 鈥極h, and by the way, we came up with more money,鈥� right? I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 going to happen.鈥�

The future of childcare in the NWT is fragile, Davison added.

鈥淐ertain centers are asking themselves daily 鈥榓re we sustainable? Can we keep our doors open? Is this worth it?鈥�,鈥� she said.

She also stressed how hard it is to retain staff with this current dynamic, especially when it comes to wages for workers.

鈥淲e鈥檙e looking for a community comparable wage,鈥� said Davison. 鈥淚鈥檓 not talking about just a living wage, because that鈥檚 barely scraping by. These are people who look after our future, our children. They鈥檝e gotten educated, they鈥檝e taken training, they have experience, and they have a huge responsibility.鈥�

In a press release sent by the NWT Early Childcare Association, they note that there are few benefits for working in the Early Learning and Childcare (ELCC) sector, despite how essential it is to both their economy and society.

鈥淔or every dollar spent in early childhood, there is a savings from between $2.50 to $7 in Health, Education, and Justice,鈥� according to the press release. 鈥淩esearch that factors in the economic benefit, more people in the workforce, and other economic advantages, show the savings are much higher at about $13 per dollar investment.鈥�

Cleveland said when it comes to wages, the GNWT is in talks with the childcare sector on what comes next, including a wage grid, a certification model, and new funding approaches to support licensed operators.

鈥淎 wage grid will establish a minimum hourly pay rate for these positions so that no one earns below that threshold,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t also means that years of experience and education will be recognized.鈥�

As for Davison, she said she鈥檚 unsure what the future holds.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just really fragile right now, so I鈥檓 not sure. And then in the next two months, what will happen? I mean, I hear operators saying that they鈥檙e going to have to make some tough decisions,鈥� she said.

Davison mentioned the GNWT is the holder of the revenue for early learning and childcare by what she called a pretty good margin.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e the ones who control the revenue for early learning and care. And so hopefully some funds will come out that will make it so programs can be sustainable,鈥� she said.

Davison added the GNWT is still working to come up with those numbers and explain what kind of funds operators are going to have moving forward for April.

鈥淲e鈥檙e already at the end of February and April 1 is the crunch date. That鈥檚 a new fiscal year for everybody. It鈥檚 just very fragile right now. And nobody鈥檚 sure what鈥檚 going to happen.鈥�

鈥擝y Devon Tredinnick