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Eight provinces and three territories have signed on to a new federal child-care agreement that will see them receive nearly $37 billion in funding from Ottawa from 2026 through to 2031, while Alberta and Saskatchewan have not.
Alberta estimates its current agreement with the federal government, which is set to expire on April 1, 2026, has already reduced child-care fees for parents by 80 per cent.
The agreement also includes a wage top-up for workers and has included grants to operators who open new child-care spaces. The province estimates it has hired 10,000 additional early-childhood educators and created more than 31,000 new child-care spaces since the agreement began in 2021.
Last month, Alberta rejected an offer from the federal government to extend the agreement through to 2031, saying Ottawa wasn't offering enough money and provided too short of a deadline to sign on.
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Disagreement over for-profit child care
Jones also said Alberta wants to move away from another aspect of the deal it signed in 2021, in which the province agreed to use the federal funds to "prioritize not-for-profit" daycare expansion.
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