Excerpt
Some childcare centres across Alberta are losing money after the province introduced its $15 a day flat rate.
Bernice Taylor, the program manager for the Early Childhood Development Centre and a member of the Alberta Early Learning and Care Leaders Caucus, spoke to town council about the impacts of the fee changes last week. Taylor said that though many parents would be paying lower fees for their childcare, the government had also dialled back some of its funding for providers.
Taylor’s package for council included a report from the Parkland Institute, information packages from the Alberta Government, as well as a slide show outlining the impact these changes will have on the ECDC.
According to Taylor, the province was involved in 18 months of consultations with stakeholders regarding the best way to institute a flat fee system.
“Through those stakeholder engagements, centres from all across Alberta sent in all of their financials so they could see the true cost of child care,” said Taylor. “They sent surveys out to the parents asking them about what they felt were enhancement costs and what were core costs.” The province also held live consultation engagements.
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