Alberta getting closer to reaching $10-a-day childcare

Alberta is closer to reaching the Canadian government’s goal of providing $10-a-day childcare.

On Friday, Minister of Employment and Workforce Development Randy Boissonnault announced costs across the province are down, setting up Alberta to reach the milestone by 2026.

Boissonnault claims Alberta’s average rate for child care is down to $15-a-day at least since the beginning of the year.

Ottawa claims an Alberta family could pay roughly $13,000 less for daycare this year compared to 2021. That’s when Alberta joined the federal childcare agreement.

“If this is available to kids of this generation and beyond, then I know the future is bright,” said Boissonnault.

In early 2024, daycare operators participated in rolling closures, locking families out to raise awareness of the financial hardships brought on by the $10-a-day program delivery.

Alberta’s Jobs and Economy Minister says that has been resolved by offering partial payments upfront before paying out the rest of the grant funding once the financial department receives month-end reports.

Adding, there’s a longer-term cost-control plan in the works.

“That’s going to look at the province by region, by child care type, by age, and that’s going to determine what is a reasonable cost of delivery, and we’re going to ensure that every child care operator is provided the funds necessary,” said Matt Jones, jobs and economy minister.

Alberta is taking $3.8 billion from the feds to help bring costs down, and the investment has opened up around 22,000 new spaces for children needing care.

With its sights set on 2026, the province is not only aiming at having child care down to $10-a-day, it hopes to open up another 44,000 spaces for families seeking affordable care.