2012 Bill 210 Fifth Session, 27th Legislature, 61 Elizabeth II THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA BILL 210 EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING AND CHILD CARE ACT MR. TAYLOR First Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Second Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Committee of the Whole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Third Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Royal Assent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 Bill 210 Mr. Taylor BILL210 2012 EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING AND CHILD CARE ACT (Assented to , 2012)

Preamble

WHEREAS a child’s early years form the critical foundation for lifelong learning and good health;

WHEREAS Alberta families should have access to the skills, supports and resources necessary to raise healthy children;

WHEREAS parents should not be adversely impacted financially for the choices they make respecting child care; and

WHEREAS there is a need for the Government to develop an early childhood learning curriculum through a cross-ministry framework; THEREFORE HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, enacts as follows:

Definitions 1 (a) “cabinet committee” means the committee of Executive Council established under

section 3; In this Act, (b) “early childhood learning and child care framework” is the framework established under this Act; (c) “Minister” means the Minister determined under

section 16 of the Government Organization Act as the Minister responsible for this Act;

2 (d) “Secretariat” means the Early Childhood Secretariat established under

section 4. Purpose 2 (

a) physical and emotional health;

(1) The purpose of this Act is to establish an early childhood learning and child care framework that will achieve the best possible outcomes for Alberta’s children with respect to (

b) safety and security; (

c) learning success; (

d) social engagement and responsibility.

(2) The objectives of the framework are to (

a) identify and make available the necessary supports and resources to achieve high-quality early childhood learning; (

b) increase accessibility to child care that includes a wide range of options such as full-day kindergarten and flexible child care services on site in the workplace; (

c) address the recruitment, retention and accreditation of early childhood professionals; (

d) review existing tax policy and implement the necessary changes to ensure that Alberta parents are not adversely impacted financially by the choices they make respecting child care. Cabinet committee roles and responsibilities 3

(1) To achieve the objectives of this Act, Executive Council shall establish a committee of cabinet that is comprised of Ministers who are responsible for policies, programs and services that directly impact the lives of children.

(2) The Minister responsible for this Act shall chair the committee.

(3) The cabinet committee is responsible for (

a) developing and implementing the early childhood learning and child care framework;

3 (

b) bringing forward the necessary legislative changes to give effect to the framework; (

c) monitoring the effectiveness of the framework by measuring performance against the following indicators: (

i) number of child care spaces, (ii) availability and affordability of child care services, (iii) availability of full-time kindergarten, (iv) turnover and retention rates of early childhood professionals, (

v) participation levels in early childhood learning programs, and (vi) quality assessment of child care services and early childhood learning programs. Early Childhood Secretariat 4

(1) There is hereby established an office of the public service of Alberta called the Early Childhood Secretariat that shall be under the direction of the cabinet committee.

(2) The Secretariat is responsible for (

a) assisting the Minister and the cabinet committee in carrying out their responsibilities under this Act, (

b) making recommendations to the cabinet committee concerning the early childhood learning and child care framework, (

c) working with department officials, community partners and other governments to implement and evaluate the framework, (

d) facilitating community development and public input regarding early childhood learning and child care issues, and (

e) conducting research in relation to the framework and related issues.

4 Review of child care subsidies; tax policy 5

(1) Upon the coming into force of this Act, the cabinet committee together with the Secretariat shall immediately conduct a comprehensive review of existing child care subsidies and Alberta’s tax policy with the objective of developing the necessary policy and legislative changes that will ensure there is no economic incentive for Alberta parents to choose one form of child care over another.

(2) Within one year of commencing the review under subsection (1), (

a) the cabinet committee must complete its review and make public its recommendations, and (

b) the Minister shall introduce a Bill in the Assembly that includes the recommended legislative changes. Public reporting 6

(1) Within 6 months of the coming into force of this Act, the cabinet committee shall make public the details regarding the early childhood learning and child care framework and the plan for its implementation.

(2) No later than one year after the framework’s details are made public, the cabinet committee shall report to the Legislative Assembly on the progress made to date respecting the objectives of the framework.

(3) The Secretariat shall prepare an annual report on its activities for the cabinet committee, and the Minister shall table the report in the Assembly immediately upon receipt.

Record of Debate STAGE DATE MEMBER FROM TO TOTAL CUMULATIVE TOTAL Title: 2012 (27th, 5th) Bill 210, Early Childhood Learning and Child Care Act