Early Years Centre

Merry Pop-Ins offers programs for the following:

  • Infants: Birth to 22 mo. Fulltime only.  $34.00 per day.
  • Toddlers: 22 mo. to 36 mo. Fulltime – Part-time if space available.  $28.00 per day.
  • Junior and Senior Pre-School: 3 or 4 yrs. old. Fulltime – Part-time if space available.  $27.00 per day.

To reserve a space please register online at the PEI Early Learning & Child Care Registry

The Prince Edward Island Early Childhood System

Early Learning and Childcare Investments | Government of Prince Edward Island

  • There are 6,970 children in PEI from birth to age four. Of these, 2,700 are enrolled in licensed programs.
  • When kindergarten was brought into the school system in 2010, the province introduced a comprehensive five-year strategy to strengthen the early childhood system.
  • Today, PEI is seen as a leader in early learning and child care because of its high quality Early Years Centres, early learning curriculum, regulated parent fees, a wage grid which recognizes the education  and experience of early childhood educators, post-secondary education for staff, and sector planning and support to programs.
  • Early learning and child care is offered in Early Years Centres, non-designated centres and the unlicensed sector.
  • Parents continue to advocate strongly for choice in the type of centre they choose for their child.
  • There are 3,045 licensed full-time equivalent spaces in the province. Of these, 10 percent are for infants; 19 percent are for toddlers; 24 percent are for three-year-olds; and 35 percent are for four-year-olds.
  • There are 45 Early Years Centres (EYCs). To be designated as an EYC, operators  are required to have a minimum number of children (40 in urban areas), to integrate children with special needs, meet higher quality standards including additional educational requirements for staff, use the provincial curriculum, implement parent advisory committees, adhere to a uniform wage grid, and charge standardized fees.
  • The early childhood system is publicly managed but delivered through licensed operators.
  • EYCs and non-designated licensed centres receive operational funding from government based on enrolment, staff education and parent fees.
  • Many parents receive support through the PEI Child Care Subsidy program which is administered by the Department of Family and Human Services.
  • Centres are licensed based on community need, which stabilizes the sector and minimizes the number of centres closing.
  • A Minister’s Early Years Advisory Committee includes parents and stakeholders. The provincial action plan was developed based on input from the committee.
Published date:
August 29, 2017