P.E.I. boosts investment in early childhood education

The P.E.I. government is promising a significant increase in early childhood education spending in the coming year.

Finance Minister Darlene Compton presented the budget for 2021-22 in the P.E.I. Legislature Friday morning.

The new spending will go to new programs and positions that have been previously discussed, but without dollar figures attached.

It adds up to a significant increase in spending, another $8.2 million in early childhood development, 41 per cent more than 2020-21.

At the top of the list is a half-day, universal pre-K program, which will launch in September. That will cost $2.9 million in the coming year.

The province will invest $1.4 million to open eight additional early years centres, parts of the creation of 300 new child-care spaces at a further cost of $650,000.

Teachers in the ECE system will get a raise, and that will cost the government another $1.1 million.

The government will also make the system less expensive for parents, lowering rates to $25 a day. That initiative will cost $625,000.

More from CBC P.E.I.