The provincial government is providing an update on the creation of daycare spaces in the province.

Education Minister Krista Lynn Howell provided the update this morning.

She says there are nearly 8,300 child care spaces operating at $10 per day or lower, 820 of which were created this year.

Eighteen pre-kindergarten sites are now open across the province, with 17 more expected to open next month. That will result in over 600 total spaces in that program.

There are 63 providers in various stages of of opening not-for-profit child care centres, including 25 in metro, 14 sites in central and the east, and 25 in the west and in Labrador.

Government says they have also created a $5,100 francophone bonus for educators working in regulated centres.

As well, over 100 ECEs have joined or rejoined the workforce this year.

The province is also on track for the creation of child care demand portal this fall that will give a better understanding of the demand in all areas of the province.

The education minister acknowledged some parents, including a cabinet colleague, have been on waiting list for years.

But Howell declined to say how many others may be in the same boat.

“We have, anecdotally, those numbers, but it’s not something that I’m really interested in sharing right now because people know their need, they know if they have a need, and they communicate that to us and we’re working to address that for everybody,” she said. ” We get distracted by the number instead of the actual solution to the problem, and the reality is no matter how many kids are waiting, we’d need those spaces created.”