Minister Luc Fortin announces sustainable funding for family-related community organizations

Better support for families

Québec, May 14, 2018. – The Government of Québec is investing $35.7 million in order to sustain increased funding for family-related community organizations, so that all Québec families can guide their children towards educational success. The announcement was made today by Luc Fortin, Minister of Families, during the first Sommet de la Famille in Saint-Hyacinthe.

This investment will fund five concrete measures from the Age 0-8 Strategy, Everything For Our Kids, as follows:

• $30 million to sustainably fund family-related community organizations and organizations that offer part-time/drop-in community childcare activities – $10 million per year between 2019-2020 and 2021-2022.
• $5.7 million invested over four years in order to:
  • Raise awareness among parents of 3 to 5-year-olds about the importance of eye exams before starting school;
  • Facilitate and support parents’ participation in their children’s success, particularly parents who are in vulnerable situations or are recent immigrants. This could involve offering translation or support services for certain activities, for example;
  • Create an information document, and in two phases, develop an interactive online map for locating family services. The first phase is finished, and a preliminary interactive map is already available.
• A province-wide consultation mechanism will be created to ensure the consistency of educational actions for children aged 0 to 8.

The 2018-2019 budget will also improve the aid given to family-related community organizations: they will receive $3.4 million over the next five years. This additional money will allow the organizations to cover their growth costs, including the costs linked to the planned minimum wage increases.

A sum of $45 million for local and regional mobilization to promote child development

Since 2009, the Government of Québec and the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation have worked together to support mobilization initiatives for child development in local communities. However, this partnership will end in 2020. That is why the 2018-2019 budget will provide $45 million to ensure that this support continues throughout Québec. A sum of $15 million per year will be distributed from 2020-2021 to 2022-2023.

Quote

Family-related community organizations and community organizations offering childcare activities contribute actively to the well-being and fulfilment of families throughout Québec. Today, I am very happy to announce sustainable funding for their operating budgets, as per their request. By further supporting the mission of these organizations, we will be able to better support parents in need, so that all children can have equal opportunities to develop and succeed.

– Luc Fortin, Minister of Families

Key points

• On March 6, 2017, Sébastien Proulx, the Minister of Families at the time, announced $20 million in one-time funding over two years for family-related community organizations.
• This financial aid was part of the objective of assisting parents and promotomg mobilization and consultation among actors in the field, as set forth in the Strategy regarding the educational services offered for children aged 0 to 8, Everything For Our Kids.
• The Sommet de la Famille on May 14, bringing together many different organizations that work towards the well-being of Québec families, was organized by the Réseau pour un Québec Famille.
• The Table des partenaires des organismes Famille includes the Fédération Québécoise des Organismes Communautaires Famille (FQOCF), the Association des Haltes-Garderies Communautaires du Québec (AHGCQ), the Fédération des Associations de Familles Monoparentales et Recomposées du Québec (FAFMRQ) and the Confédération des Organismes Familiaux du Québec (COFAQ). These partners will be consulted on how to distribute the extra $30 million provided for the Age 0-8 Strategy.