A made-in-Alberta child-care deal gives the province the flexibility to meet the unique needs of Alberta families, helps drive economic recovery and supports working parents by lowering child-care fees.
The Government of Alberta has negotiated an agreement with the federal government that will ensure $3.8 billion committed by the federal government goes toward the expansion of accessible, affordable and high-quality early learning and child care that gives Alberta families the choice and quality they deserve. This plan will reduce fees for parents of children aged 0-kindergarten by half in early 2022 and provide an average of $10 per day child care by 2026.
The province will reduce fees by an average of 50 per cent in early 2022 and further reduce fees to an average of $10 per day for children aged 0-kindergarten over the next five years. All while supporting parents and families who need it most in licensed child care, such as preschools, daycare and licensed family day homes, in order to best meet the needs of working parents.
In addition to private spaces, the agreement includes a plan to add at least 42,500 new licensed non-profit and day home child-care spaces over the next five years. This will support Alberta’s economic recovery. There are also dollars dedicated to increase spaces to support children with specific learning, linguistic, cultural and other needs, as well as overnight child care.
Alberta’s government knows that quality care starts with quality educators, which is why it negotiated $300 million in funding for professional development, training and improved certification levels of the early childhood educator workforce.
Quick Facts
- The Alberta child-care subsidy program currently has one of the highest income thresholds in the country and provides subsidies to more than 26,800 families.
- Alberta will continue the competitive wage top-up program, among the highest in Canada, to support highly qualified educators delivering the quality of care parents in Alberta deserve and expect.
- Nearly 56 per cent of Alberta child-care spaces are private and many are operated by female entrepreneurs.
- Work is already underway to add 1,500 new licensed child care spaces in Alberta this year in areas of the province where there has been a lack of licensed child-care options for parents.
- The province will also have the flexibility to develop grants for inclusive child care to support children with extra needs, vulnerable communities, infant care or other areas of unique needs.
- Parents will continued to be supported by programs like the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), child care expense deduction and the Alberta child and family benefit (ACFB).
Multimedia
Watch the news conference here.
View the full news release here.