The Governments of Saskatchewan and Canada are announcing that parent fees for regulated child care in the province will be reduced to $10 a day starting April 1, 2023.

Saskatchewan is one of the first Canadian provinces to achieve this milestone, which is three years ahead of schedule as outlined earlier this year to bring down child care fees to $10 day by 2025-26.

"The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to investing in affordable, inclusive, and high-quality child care that provides children with a positive start in life while also giving parents the flexibility and choice to build both a family and career," Education Minister Dustin Duncan said.

Parents whose children are under the age of six and attend regulated child care on a full-time basis can expect to pay $217.50 per month. The fee reductions will result in families saving an average of $395 to $573 per month for each child under six from the average comparable fees as of March 31, 2021.

“Today is a major achievement for families in Saskatchewan, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development Karina Gould said. "By working together, Canada and Saskatchewan have achieved our shared goal of affordable child care three years ahead of schedule. We are continuing to focus on achieving other important targets through the Canada-wide system, such as space creation and support to early childhood educators, to ensure that every family has access to high-quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive child care.”

This parent fee reduction is the third fee reduction since the signing of the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement in August 2021. The agreement includes a federal investment of nearly $1.1 billion over five years for regulated early learning and child care programs and services for children under the age of six in Saskatchewan.

A total of 19,790 regulated child care spaces are operational in Saskatchewan across 144 communities as of December 31, 2022. Through the agreement, the governments are also providing funding for free training and education to increase the number of early childhood educators, wage enhancements of up to $5.00 per hour, and a range of grants for regulated child care facilities.

"These subsidies help families like mine because my wife and I both work and we have two kids," Sanjay Patel, a Saskatoon parent whose children attend a regulated family child care home said. "I'll probably be saving around $500 to $600 a month compared to last year with this most recent reduction in parent fees. This is going to help my family out a lot because we'll have more money left over for other things our family can use."

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