Manitoba needs 77,000 more child-care spaces, coalition says

Manitoba's Child Care Coalition says the province must create at least 77,000 more child-care spaces to reach a national access benchmark of 59 per cent coverage. Manitoba currently has about 44,850 licensed spaces, covering roughly 22 per cent of its children, according to figures the coalition gathered partly through a freedom of information request. Meeting the target would require about 23,000 more infant and preschool spaces and 54,000 school-age spaces. Advocates credited recent progress, including $10-a-day care and higher wages for early childhood educators, but said many families still face long waits, especially parents working evenings, weekends or rotating shifts.