Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement
The Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement was signed on November 14, 2021.
The agreement and action plan are available online.
Federal press release
$10-a-day child care for families in Alberta
Office of the Prime Minister, 15 November 2021
Provincial press release
Federal-provincial child care agreement
Government of Alberta, 15 November 2021
Updates and next steps
$50M now available to create child-care spaces
Government of Alberta, 7 July 2022
Community responses
Child Care advocates welcome Canada-Alberta child care agreement and call on Ontario and New Brunswick governments to join effort to build Canada-wide system of early learning and child care
Child Care Now, 15 November 2021
Child Care Now Alberta celebrates the Canada-Alberta child care agreement and looks forward to learning the details needed for implementation
Child Care Now - Alberta, 15 November 2021
Media coverage
Note: Media coverage is listed from most recent to oldest.
Albertans struggle to find part-time daycare despite affordable childcare grant
CityNews, 27 May 2022
Calgary daycare fees for preschoolers likely most expensive in Canada for 2022, report says
CBC News, 10 May 2022
Calgary and Edmonton will miss federal child care fee reduction targets: think tank
Edmonton Journal, 10 May 2022
Alberta government rejects report projecting it won't hit federal child care fee targets
Calgary Sun, 10 May 2022
“Tin-pot childcare” lives on?
Alberta Views, 1 April 2022
NDP warns Alberta won't hit $10-per-day child care target without extra $200M from UCP
Edmonton Journal, 28 February 2022
Alberta subsidies slashed ahead of affordable child-care program
Global News, 3 December 2021
Ottawa, Alberta reach deal for 'affordable, quality child care,' province says
CBC News, 15 November 2021
Trudeau, Kenney ink child-care deal for Alberta
CTV News, 15 November 2021
Parents, critics question slow-moving child care deal between UCP and Ottawa
CTV News, 4 November 2021
Calgary's new mayor wants a child care deal with feds if Alberta doesn't strike one
Power and Politics, 19 October 2021
Local child care centre advocating for federal subsidy
High River Online, 17 October 2021
Alberta minister blames feds for not striking child-care deal before federal election call
CBC News, 15 August 2021
What the feds’ child care program would mean for Alberta
The Sprawl, 13 August 2021
Opinion: Alberta leaves mothers with case of childcare FOMO
Edmonton Journal, 11 August 2021
Alberta pushes for child care funding, Ottawa says it still needs province’s action plan
CTV News, 6 August 2021
Alberta premier demands federal child-care deal with no strings attached
CBC News, 6 August 2021
Local childcare providers, Alberta NDP call for greater sustained funding
My Grande Prairie Now, 25 July 2021
Chrystia Freeland speaks with Edmonton moms about universal child-care program
CTV News, 21 July 2021
Calgary councillor proposing city solutions for affordable child care
Global News, 20 July 2021
Alberta parents could save thousands under federal $10-a-day child-care plan, new data shows
CBC News, 20 July 2021
'It would be life-changing': Advocates push for Alberta to sign on to $10/day federal child care program
CTV News, 14 July 2021
Alberta negotiating child-care funding as Nova Scotia becomes second province to strike deal with Ottawa
Edmonton Journal, 13 July 2021
Opinion: Federal child-care plan an opportunity that Alberta can't miss
Edmonton Journal, 10 July 2021
Conversations continue over whether Alberta will sign on to federal child-care program
Global News, 9 July 2021
Advocacy and policy tools
Roadmap to a quality early learning and child care system in Alberta
Canadian Child Care Federation, Child Care Now, The Muttart Foundation & YMCA of Northern Alberta, 29 November 2021
The Alberta’s Roadmap identifies and explores four key elements to building a robust and responsive child care system: ideas and vision; public policy, planning, and management; financing and; workforce development and support. The roadmap highlights that transition away from a child care market towards a more publicly funded, planned and managed early learning and child care system in Alberta will require new public policy, new models of service governance, planning and management and new financing models.
Measuring affordability of child care
Research Roundtable on Care Work in the Recovery Economy - Centre for Gender and the Economy, University of Toronto, 2 February 2022
This analysis examines Alberta's recent child care funding changes, both effects on affordability and in comparison to the $10/a day fee which is the cross-Canada goal. Using Calgary data, it shows that under Alberta's new funding scheme, for a low income family with two children, parent fees now consume almost 50% of net family income. Families at all incomes pay more under the Alberta scheme than under a $10/day fee. But it is for low income families that the difference between the two options is greatest; with a flat $10/day fee, child care would consume 20% of net family income rather than close to 50%.
Alberta child care agreement - What's next?
Child Care Now, 2 December 2021, 7:00-8:000 pm MST
Child Care Now Alberta will be hosting a webinar to discuss what the recently signed early learning and child care agreement means for Albertans. The webinar features national child care policy expert and Child Care Now's Executive Director, Morna Ballantyne, as well as Child Care Now Alberta's Chair, Susan Cake and panelists from Alberta's child care sector.
Tell Premier Jason Kenney and Minister Rebecca Schulz to sign the agreement
Child Care Now - Alberta, 29 September 2021
Other Early Learning and Child Care Agreements
Canada – Alberta Early Learning and Child Care Agreement - 2017-2020
Canada – Alberta Early Learning and Child Care Agreement - 2020-2021