$10-a-day child care for families in Saskatchewan

Press Release

From: Employment and Social Development Canada

March 6, 2023

Families across Canada know that affordable child care is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. That is why the Government of Canada has been working with provinces and territories to implement an affordable, inclusive, and high-quality early learning and child care system to put money back in the pockets of Canadian families and give children the best possible start in life.

Today, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, celebrated the news that Saskatchewan will achieve $10-a-day licensed child care under the Canada-wide early learning and child care system on April 1, 2023 —a full three years ahead of schedule. All of Canada’s provinces and territories have already seen significant reductions in child care fees, with nearly half now offering regulated child care for an average of $10-a-day or less.

By achieving this goal, families in Saskatchewan will be able to save an average of $395 to $573 per month for each child under six from the average comparable fees as of March 31, 2021.

Delivering $10-a-day child care across the country is a key part of the federal government’s plan to make life more affordable for Canadians. It builds on a wide range of other support programs, including the Canada Child Benefit, which puts more money into the pockets of nine out of 10 Canadian families with children and has helped lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. We will continue to put Canadian families at the heart of everything we do, as we make life more affordable, create good jobs, and grow the economy to benefit all Canadians.

Quotes

“Today is a major achievement for families in Saskatchewan. By working together, Canada and Saskatchewan have achieved our shared goal of affordable child care three years ahead of schedule. We are continuing to focus on achieving other important targets through the Canada-wide system, such as space creation and support to early childhood educators, to ensure that every family has access to high-quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive child care.”
– Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould

“The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to investing in affordable, inclusive and high-quality child care that provides children with a positive start in life while also giving parents the flexibility and choice to build both a family and career.”
– Saskatchewan Education Minister, Dustin Duncan

“The YMCA of Regina appreciates the opportunity to host this exciting announcement at our newly opened childcare facility. We look forward to working together in continued collaboration to provide affordable, safe, inclusive, and quality licensed childcare in the communities we serve. The YMCA is the largest provider of licensed childcare in the province and we look forward to being a trusted partner in the ongoing implementation of the Canada-wide early learning and childcare agreement.”
– Chief Executive Officer, YMCA of Regina, Steve Compton

Quick facts

• Saskatchewan signed its Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement on August 13, 2021.
• As part of the 2021–2022 to 2025–2026 Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the Government of Canada is providing nearly $1.1 billion over five years to help improve regulated early learning and child care for children under 6 years of age in the province.
• This is in addition to the $85.7 million announced in August 2021 through the 2021–2022 to 2024–2025 Canada–Saskatchewan Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, which included over $17 million through a one-time investment in 2021–2022 to support the early childhood workforce.
• As part of Budget 2021, the Government of Canada made a transformative investment of more than $27 billion over five years to build a Canada-wide early learning and child care system with the provinces and territories. Combined with other investments, including investments in Indigenous early learning and child care, Budget 2021 provided up to $30 billion over five years in support of early learning and child care.

Associated links

• Toward $10-a-Day: Early Learning and Child Care
• Canada–Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement – 2021 to 2026
• Federal Secretariat on Early Learning and Child Care

Contacts

For media enquiries, please contact:

Margaret Jaques
Senior Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould
[email protected]

Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
[email protected]
Follow us on Twitter

Heather McKerracher
Ministry of Education
Regina
Phone: 306-787-5589
[email protected]

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