Feds, province reach agreement on affordable child care

“Not only does it give our children the best possible start in life, it ensures that parents — especially mothers — can work, and it creates good, well-paying jobs for educators.

“Today’s announcement with the Government of Saskatchewan is another important step in making this a reality for families everywhere in Canada.”

The feds also are putting up $1.1 billion over the next five years to help create 28,000 new early learning and child-care spaces in Saskatchewan in not-for-profit child-care centres, small child-care facilities and home-based child care.

“The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to investing in affordable, accessible and quality early learning and child-care options that provide flexibility and choice to Saskatchewan families,” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said in the release.

“We are pleased that this deal creates 28,000 new regulated spaces, makes life more affordable for Saskatchewan families and enhances the wages of Early Childhood Educators who support children across our province.”

The agreement also features the creation of a wage grid to ensure early childhood educators are fairly compensated and offers support for future early childhood educators with their studies and with professional development opportunities.

The federal and provincial governments also announced they’ve reached an agreement to extend the Canada-Saskatchewan Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, which was signed in 2017.

The Government of Canada will provide more than $68.5 million over the next four years to increase access to affordable child-care spaces. As well, the feds are to provide Saskatchewan with a one-time investment of more than $17 million in 2021-22 to support the early childhood workforce.

Saskatchewan is the eighth province/territory to sign on to the federal deal.

A potential problem

But Georgia Lavallee, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association, is worried that a potential federal election being called Sunday could throw a wrench in those plans.

“We are nervous … The news of a federal election is a little bit scary for us. There is a chance that everything could change,” she said before Friday’s announcement.

However, given how many provinces and territories have signed on already, she’s still optimistic the changes will go through.

“If Saskatchewan does sign on (Friday), then there will be eight, so we’re hoping that all political parties within our country will then have a better support for early learning and child care,” she said.

One of the Liberal government’s main goals with the planned subsidy is to cut the cost of daycare to $10 a day. Lavallee believes that’s one of the two most important things for the sector.

“It’s kind of like, ‘What comes first, the chicken or the egg?’ So to have a quality early learning and child-care program, you also need a well-educated and well-compensated workforce,” she said.

“So if I could have two items on my wish list, it would be the support of a well-educated and well-compensated early childhood educator workforce, and affordability and inclusion for all children in Saskatchewan.”

A massive $30-billion price tag on a program like this will either lead to a raise in taxes or a higher federal debt. However, Lavallee doesn’t see that as a problem.

“Investment into a national early learning and child-care system like this would actually promote economic growth. Although the federal government and provincial government will be putting money into this, they will see more revenue out of this,” she suggested.

“It will stimulate higher tax revenue … It will support the labour market (because) it’s going to empower women to re-enter the workforce.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Dominick Lucyk

by 650 CKOM News

Feds, province reach agreement on affordable child care

A potential problem

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