Advocates score a major win with a hat trick for child care in Saskatchewan: workers, families, and children are the winners!

EXCERPTS

Advocates score a major win with a hat trick for child care in Saskatchewan: workers, families, and children are the winners! Saskatchewan, August 13, 2021 – Saskatchewan advocates say the child care funding agreement reached between the Government of Canada and the Province of Saskatchewan is historic. It will provide a solid framework for building a truly universal public system of early learning child care, one of high quality programs and services, and a system that will enhance what we already have and finally address the child care desert we have in Saskatchewan. As a result, all Saskatchewan families will have more access to these affordable services, with a reduction in fees of 50% immediately with a target towards ten dollars a day, delivered by equitably compensated, qualified early childhood educators.

“We are relieved that Saskatchewan was able to sign this historic agreement, working in collaboration with the federal government to secure 1.1 billion dollars. This funding will build a much needed system of equitable, accessible, affordable, and culturally safe child care for Saskatchewan families,” said Sue Delanoy, Chair of the Child Care Now Saskatchewan coalition.

“We celebrate this federal-provincial agreement because it includes the key elements necessary to transform and expand child care in Saskatchewan” said Delanoy, she also stated the following aspects of the agreement that were particularly important:

• A commitment of 1.1 Billion dollars of federal funding over the next five years.
• By 2022, parent fees will be reduced by half, and by 2025/2026 an average of $10 per day for licensed child care.
• A historic and much needed creation of 28,000 new regulated early learning child care spaces in not-for-profit centres, facilities, and homes.
• The compensation of those working in child care will be improved with a wage increase and the introduction of a wage grid.

“We believe that families, early childhood educators, and especially mothers will be relieved that Saskatchewan was able to sign this unprecedented agreement today,” said Delanoy.

Today we congratulate the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan for working together to get it right. In the coming days, we look forward to the details of the implementation and how we can work together to support this agreement. Bold action was required and bold action was taken!

For more information contact:
Sue Delanoy, Advocate Child Care Now Saskatchewan
Email: saskatchewan@ccnow.ca
Phone: 306-241-4952
Website: https://timeforchildcare.ca/