| Minister
Announces Early Years Lead Agencies for Waterloo-Wellington
Families
Community Family and Children’s Services Minister Brenda
Elliott today announced lead agencies for early years
programs for children and families in Ontario.
“A
$46.6 million investment by the Ernie Eves government
in Ontario Early Years Centres across the province gives
families with young children the opportunity to explore
a variety of early child development services and helpful
information on parenting skills and children’s literacy,”
Minister Elliott said. “Starting this spring, an additional
61 Ontario Early Years Centres will open in Ontario
communities.”
Waterloo-Wellington
families will be able to access these services through
the Community Resource Centre of Fergus, the YMCA of
Kitchener-Waterloo, and Our Place Family Resource Centre
of Kitchener.
“Strong
families are the foundation of our society,” said Waterloo-Wellington
MPP Ted Arnott. “I am pleased that these agencies have
been chosen to lead these very important early years
programs for Waterloo-Wellington families.”
Mr.
Arnott has been a long-time advocate of programs that
help ensure that children have an opportunity to grow
up in a safe and nurturing home. He introduced a Private
Member’s resolution to highlight and support the Healthy
Babies, Healthy Children program. Following the passage
of Mr. Arnott’s resolution on April 30, 1998, the Province
committed to increasing the funding for the program
by five-fold from its original budget of $10 million
to $50 million by the year 2000-2001. This funding commitment
increased seven-fold to $70.5 million as of 2001-2002.
Funding
for the Early Years Centres is part of the federal/provincial
Early Childhood Development agreement, through which
money is transferred to the provinces to enhance programs
and services for young children and their families.
Ontario’s share of the funds for year two – April 2002
to March 2003 – is $153 million.
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