What does the Federal Deal to make child care 10 dollars a day mean for Alberta?

The federal government has reached an agreement with the province of Alberta that will ensure that every family in Alberta will have affordable childcare. The federal government announced that it had reached an agreement with the province to provide $3.8 billion over ten years on condition that they deliver on their plan to make all child care 10 dollars a day or less by 2025.

This deal is promised to bring more than 42,500 child care spaces across Alberta by 2025-26. With the addition of these many new spaces, Bourdin says it could still be short 125,000 slots. There are still questions as to what the money being spent on this new initiative will cover, for instance, how much it will cost parents, but there is no doubt this deal is good news for Alberta families.

  • $3.8 billion will be invested in childcare, for children who have not yet started kindergarten, through the agreement.
  • $2.865 billion to lower childcare fees for Alberta parents
  • $240.64 million to increase the number of child care spaces
  • $202.6 million to develop and fund childcare options to support vulnerable and diverse populations, as well as children with extra needs
  • $306.16 million to support licensed programs and certified educators in offering high-quality support for families in their communities

What is the current cost of child care in Alberta?

The 2019 Child Care Fee Survey found the full-day, full-time median monthly infant fee in Calgary was $1,300, and $1,100 for toddlers, and $1075 for pre-schoolers (including both childcare centre and regulated home childcare data). This means that, on average, Alberta families are spending over 10% of their income on child care.

What are the benefits of affordable, quality child care?

There are many benefits of affordable, quality child care. Firstly, it enables parents to work or attend school. It also provides children with a safe and stimulating environment where they can learn and play. Research shows that high-quality early childhood education programs have a positive impact on children’s social, cognitive, and emotional development.

How will this deal benefit Alberta families?

This deal will benefit Alberta families in many ways. Firstly, it will make quality child care more affordable. This will enable more parents to work or attend school. It will also create more spaces for children in licensed care. Many cities in Alberta currently have a shortage of child care spaces and this deal will help to create more than 42,500 new spaces across Alberta by 2026.

As part of its strategy to decrease the typical cost of day-care for children under six to $10 a day by 2026, the province will begin rolling out operating grants for Alberta childcare programs in mid-January 2022.

Also, an additional subsidy for lower-income families implies that they could see their costs reaching near the $10-a-day mark by 2025 as part of this agreement signed with the federal government.

“These investments will make a big difference for families, but we know that this targeted approach will also actually make sure dollars go to parents and kids who need it and really have an impact on economic recovery,” said Rebecca Schulz, Children’s Services Minister, in a statement.

There will be subsidies for families with less than $180,000 annual income, as well as operating grants for facility-based childcare programs. And the families will be subjected to different subsidies based on their income. For example, a family making $75,000 per year with one toddler in a day-care program would receive a full subsidy, whereas a family making $130,000 per year with an infant in a day-care program would receive a partial subsidy.

Just like Alberta’s current childcare system, the operating grants of $635 per infant, $510 per toddler and $450 per pre-schooler, and subsidy, which will be provided based on the family’s income, will go directly to the day-care provider.

What other benefits come with the federal deal For Albertans?

The federal government has promised to invest $3.8 billion in child care innovation. This money will be used to build research capacity and fund additional projects related to early years learning and childcare. This is important because quality, accessible and affordable child care enables parents, families and communities across the province to participate fully in the economy.

This is an important step forward in reconciliation and it will help ensure that all children in Canada have access to quality, affordable child care.