Shaynee Modien
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Shaunavon Standard
Families and child care workers awaiting the renewal of the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement can breathe a sigh of relief.
The provincial government of Saskatchewan and the federal government of Canada have recently announced a five-year renewal of the existing bilateral agreement.
In 2025, the federal government announced a Canada-wide $36.8 billion funding package, which will take effect after March 2026 and includes a 3 per cent funding increase every year starting in 2027-2028.
Although the previous agreement was not set to expire until 2026, all but two provinces had signed on again by 2025. The last two holdouts were the Saskatchewan and Alberta governments. The Saskatchewan government has now signed on until 2031.
This child care program, which began in April 2023, allows all parents with children under the age of six in a Saskatchewan-regulated child care centre or home to participate in the federally subsidized program.
According to the Government of Saskatchewan’s website, families with children enrolled for 10 days or more per month will pay a child care fee of $217.50 per month, while families with children enrolled for fewer than 10 days per month will pay a child care fee of $10 per day.
This federal-funded program collaborates with the provincial Ministry of Education to compensate daycare providers across Saskatchewan, providing reduced rates to parents.
As a result, families pay only $10 per day for child care, while the government covers the remaining costs, paying directly to daycares and early childhood learning centres.
As of April 2025, there are four locations listed in the South Region Rural Family Child Care homes and 12 locations in the Swift Current, Shaunavon, and Gull Lake Region listed as South Region Rural Child Care Centres. The program, which has been in effect across Canada since 2021, has seen an 11% increase in funding to daycare facilities. However, operators have recently called for continued funding increases to keep up with inflation.
