Beyond Affordability and Spaces — A Transformative Roadmap to Building  a Quality Early Learning and Child Care System for Saskatchewan

This is an historic and exciting time for Saskatchewan families and the Early Learning  and Child Care (ELCC) sector. The new Canada-Saskatchewan child care agreement  and the $1.1 billion federal transfer to Saskatchewan sets the stage for creating a high quality, inclusive, accessible and affordable child care system, but important policy  changes are necessary. 

The Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association, Canadian Child Care Federation, Child  Care Now and the Muttart Foundation worked with stakeholder’s from across the  province to develop a made-in-Saskatchewan Roadmap that can help governments,  service providers and communities begin the important task of system building.  The Government of Saskatchewan has already announced some first steps to make child  care more affordable for families and to increase the wages and educational preparation  for early childhood educators. These are key starting points, but these will have to be  expanded, and other policy initiatives developed, in the coming months and years.  Saskatchewan’s child care plan will be focused on the best interests and rights of  children and the inherent value of childhood. 

The Roadmap identifies the key policy directions that will enable all families to benefit  equitably from reductions in parent fees by half by the end of 2022 and average fees of  $10 per day by 2025/26. It outlines strategies to help create the thousands of new  affordable child care spaces needed to meet the needs of children and families, and  identifies the important new investments required to ensure that early childhood  educators are well-prepared, supported and paid for their important work. 

The groups that released the Roadmap are calling on both the provincial and federal  governments to work with the broad range of early learning and child care stakeholders  to make the best decisions going forward.  

“The Canada-Saskatchewan agreement is transformational, but it is essential that how  we move forward is planned, evidence-based and focused on all elements of quality,  including affordability, the ELCC workforce and spaces”, said Georgia Lavallee,  Executive Director at the Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association.  

Morna Ballantyne, Executive Director at Child Care Now, added, “The $10/day child  care plan gives Saskatchewan the opportunity to shift from a market based, patchwork  model of services to a comprehensive child care system.” 

Download the Roadmap to a Quality Early Learning and Child Care System in Saskatchewan.

Download the highlights of the Roadmap.

P.O. Box 34, Weyburn, SK S4H 2J8 

Tel: (306) 861-7916 

seca.executivedirector@gmail.com

seca19.wildapricot.org 

The Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association 

Contacts: 

Georgia Lavallee 

Executive Director,  

Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association (306) 861-7916 

seca.executivedirector@gmail.com

Sue Delanoy 

1-306-241-4952 

Director, Child Care Now Saskatchewan

suedelanoy12@gmail.com 

Morna Ballantyne 

Executive Director, Child Care Now  613.791.3411 

ed@ccnow.ca 

Don Giesbrecht 

CEO, Canadian Child Care Federation  613-729-5289 ext 221 

dgiesbrecht@cccf-fcsge.ca

To download this press release in full, click here.