Saskatchewan child-care agreement renewed for 5 more years, province says

The federal government has extended its agreement with Saskatchewan for affordable early learning and child care, the province announced Friday.

The Canada-Saskatchewan Early Learning and Child Care Agreement will be in effect for an additional five years, beginning with 2026-27, Education Minister Everett Hindley said.

The two levels of government also extended the Canada-Saskatchewan Bilateral Early Learning and Child Care Agreement over the same time frame, as well as the Infrastructure Fund for one additional year.

Among the features of the extended agreements — which represent a total federal investment of $1.6 billion — is an expanded age eligibility, so kids who turn six while attending kindergarten can still receive $10-a-day child care until they’ve completed the school year.

The extended agreements include expanded age eligibility so that children in child care who turn six while attending Kindergarten can continue to receive $10 a day care until they complete the school year.

“It’s never been more important for parents to be able to work, study, and start a business, but for too many families, access to child care has been a major barrier,” said Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development) on behalf of Canada’s jobs and families minister Patty Hajdu.

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“If you can’t find the space or the fees are as high as a second rent or mortgage payment, then parents — especially moms — are forced to make an impossible choice: do I go back to work or do I stay home? Do we cut back on any other essentials just to cover child care?

“That’s the problem we set out to fix together.”

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Lower child care fees, he said, save families thousands and help keep parents in the workforce, while giving them choices when it comes to balancing their work and home lives.

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Hindley said the new agreement reflects the needs Saskatchewan’s leaders have heard expressed from their constituents.

“This is a monumental day for Saskatchewan families and the entire child care sector,” he said.

“This multi-year federal investment… represents more than just the continuation of funding. It’s a renewal of our promise to families.

“In Saskatchewan, we’re working for them, we hear them, and we’re putting them first in this province.”

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