Saskatchewan daycare warns of closures without federal deal and funding reform

Aishwarya Dudha · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 15, 2025 5:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 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 has organized a rally astatine the Legislative Building scheduled for 4:15 p.m. CST connected Tuesday to marque their concerns known.

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

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."

CBC reached retired to the Government of Saskatchewan, but didn't perceive backmost earlier deadline.