The federal and provincial governments announced 23.5 million to create 2,349 new regulated childcare spaces across the province.

Funding for the newly announced spaces has been allocated to 51 organizations in 41 communities that will either build new facilities or add new spaces within their existing facilities. The province will be looking to fund nearly 400 additional spaces through an application process.

Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, said they had three main goals when the government set out to create a national early learning and child care system. Make child care more affordable, create new childcare spaces, and support the workforce.

“Thanks to our investment, families in Saskatchewan are already benefiting from an average of $ 10 a day early learning and child care, saving up to $6,900 per year per child. These new spaces across the province are an important step in ensuring that all families, no matter where they live, have access to affordable, high-quality, inclusive early learning and child care.”

Funding for these new spaces is provided through the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, which provides a federal investment of nearly $1.1 billion over five years for child care in Saskatchewan.

“This investment of $23.5 million will provide Saskatchewan families greater access to affordable, high-quality early learning and child care opportunities,” Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. “These spaces will support positive child development, early literacy and student achievement.”

The additional spaces are a part of the shared goal of the Governments of Saskatchewan and Canada to create 28,000 new childcare centre spaces in the province.

A total of 5,751 new child care centre spaces have been allocated since signing the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement in August 2021.