Rally at Sask. Legislature calls for $10/day child care extension and funding reform

Aishwarya Dudha · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 15, 2025 5:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Some Saskatchewan daycare operators accidental that they won't beryllium capable to enactment successful concern if the provincial authorities doesn't code a assortment of issues, including making a woody to widen the federally subsidized $10-a-day child-care program.

Regina's Prairie Lily Early Learning Centre organized a rally astatine the Legislative Building on Tuesday day to marque their concerns known.

Saskatchewan and Alberta are the lone 2 provinces that haven't signed extensions to Ottawa's daycare program.

"If this does not get signed backmost in, I don't cognize if I tin instrumentality to work," Paige Winship, adjunct manager of Wise Owl Daycare successful Regina, said astatine the rally.

Another genitor astatine the rally, Breanne Arnold, said she is disappointed the Sask. Party hasn't signed the child-care extension.

"Child care, particularly the $10-a-day, was life-changing for our family. That's wherefore this small 1 is present today, due to the fact that we were capable to spend kid care. Had we been paying $900 to $1,500 a period for kid care, I don't deliberation we could person made our household immoderate bigger," Arnold said.

On apical of the $10-a-day daycare extension, organizers of Tuesday's rally accidental they privation the state to restructure however daycares person authorities money.

NDP child attraction professional Joan Pratchler was besides astatine the rally. She called for the authorities to supply exigency backing to assistance child-care centres and said the authorities could person signed the woody to bring stableness to families.

"A woody that's bully capable for 11 retired of 13 jurisdictions successful Canada should beryllium bully capable for the radical of Saskatchewan. This woody could person been completed already, giving bid of caput to truthful many," Pratchler said. 

Cara Steiner is with Prairie Lily Early Learning Centre. She said daycares that started operating earlier 2021 are locked into the fees charged backmost then, positive an 11 per cent increase. New programs are capable to acceptable higher fees, she said.

"There are immoderate programs retired determination that are making precise ample revenues each year, past you person our older programs that are losing wealth to the constituent that they're looking astatine bankruptcy oregon adjacent closure," Steiner said. 

"So we conscionable truly privation the authorities to code this argumentation contented wherever they could adjacent retired fees for everyone and person america each connected an adjacent playing field."

Katherine Wadsworth's girl Kaylee attends Prairie Lily Early Learning Centre successful Regina. She said she is disquieted that galore daycares could look closure if the state doesn't revamp its backing model.

"At a moment's notice, we could beryllium fixed the memos to accidental Prairie Lily is closing June 1, for example. I would request to discontinue my occupation truthful I could instrumentality attraction of the kids," Wadsworth said.

"It would conscionable upend my life, and we would beryllium losing one income retired of a double-income household.… It would crook our lives close upside down."

The Government of Saskatchewan sent CBC a connection Tuesday day saying it is looking guardant to negotiating and signing a caller kid attraction statement with the national government. 

"We proceed to conscionable and perceive to the challenges and concerns from operators, aboriginal puerility educators and families from crossed the province,"  the connection said. 

"An hold of this statement should see discussions astir the feedback received since signing the statement arsenic good arsenic the semipermanent sustainability of this programme truthful that we tin proceed to adhd spaces and supply payment Saskatchewan families and operators for years to come."