Mr. Speaker, ensuring the care and safety of children and providing accessible programs and services to families across the Northwest Territories is a top

priority of the Government of the Northwest Territories.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment identified the need to do a full review of the current licensing system for daycare centres, family day homes and Aboriginal Head Start programs to ensure compliance with legislation as part of Action 6 of the Right from the Start Early Childhood Framework and Action Plan. ECE is responsible for licensing these programs under the NWT Child Day Care Act and Standards and Regulations. As a result of the review, the department has made licensing reports of child care centres available to the public.

Information from licensing inspections completed after April 1, 2015, will now be posted to ECE’s website in a searchable format. This will encourage child care programs’ continued compliance with the Child Day Care Standards Regulations and give parents and caregivers peace of mind. The department is always looking to improve the systems in place, and these enhancements will increase transparency and provide parents with valuable information to make informed choices about their child care options.

Mr. Speaker, only six other jurisdictions in Canada provide online child care inspection summaries, putting the NWT among the lead. These improvements are part of the ongoing work by the departments of Health and Social Services and Education, Culture and Employment on the Right from the Start Early Childhood Development Framework and Action Plan.

Enhancing the quality of licenced early childhood education and care programs contributes to the GNWT’s ongoing efforts to streamline and improve access for families with young children, providing them with the programs and services they need to see their children grow and thrive. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.