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Saying every child deserves the best possible start in life and all parents should have the ability to build both a family and career, the province has announced an agreement has been reached with the federal government that will support an average of $10 a day early learning and child care for Saskatchewan families by the end of 2025-26.
The province says that, in the recent federal budget, the Government of Canada laid out a transformative plan to build a Canada-wide, community-based system of high-quality early learning and child care that provides parents in Canada with, on average, $10 a day regulated child care spaces for children under the age of six.
By the end of 2022, Saskatchewan families will see a 50 per cent reduction in average parent fees for children under age six in regulated child care.
In addition, federal funding of close to $1.1 billion over the next five years will lead to the creation of 28,000 new regulated early learning and child care spaces to help ensure Saskatchewan families with children under six years old can access child care spaces that meet their needs. Federal funding will support the expansion of these new child care spaces in not-for-profit child care centres, small child care facilities and home-based child care.
The agreement will develop a wage grid that will ensure early childhood educators are well paid for their work. The agreement also supports future early childhood educators with their studies and provides them with professional development opportunities.
The agreement includes a clear commitment to continue to work collaboratively with Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis Nation communities to ensure Indigenous children have access to affordable, high-quality and culturally appropriate early learning and child care.
It also supports an early learning and child care system that is fully inclusive of children with disabilities and children needing enhanced or individual supports, and ensures all families have equitable access to high-quality, affordable early learning and child care.
The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan have also reached an agreement to extend the Canada-Saskatchewan Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. The Government of Canada will provide over $68.5 million over the next four years to increase access to affordable, inclusive and high-quality child care spaces. In addition, the Government of Canada will provide Saskatchewan with a one-time investment of over $17 million in 2021-2022 to support the early childhood workforce.
