Feds, province steps up with child care funding

By Janet Kanters, Editor

The Alberta government is reinvesting federal child care dollars to support families who need it most.

Under a renegotiated bilateral agreement with the federal government, the Alberta government will receive $45 million to assist in the delivery of affordable and accessible child care.

According to Alberta Minister of Children’s Services, Rebecca Schulz, accessible, affordable, high-quality child care is an important part of the province’s economic recovery.

“This investment will ensure tens of thousands of parents, especially women and single parents, can enter the workforce while also supporting parent choice and parents’ diverse needs,” she said in a news release.

The funding for the three key priorities includes $29 million for affordability – supporting low-to-middle-income families through higher child care subsidies; $9.7 million for accessibility – meeting the diverse needs of parents and children across the province; and $4.7 million for quality – supporting childhood learning and development with high-quality programming and training.

With a renewed focus on affordability for those who need it most, the federally funded ELCC Centre pilot program will come to its natural conclusion in March 2021. Phase 1 ELCC Centres (provincially funded) will receive funding until July 31.

Preschools have historically been left out of the spectrum of parental choice in child care. Children’s Services is working with preschool operators and the minister’s child care working group to recognize the importance of preschools for parents who work part-time or work from home.

The renewed bilateral agreement also includes $10 million carried over from the previous agreement to be rolled into Phase 3 of Alberta’s child care relief funding that will go to support child care, out-of-school care and preschools.

Combined with the $19 million the government of Alberta has already committed in child care relief, total funding support will be almost $30 million.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 109,000 children were enrolled in a licensed or approved child care space in a centre or a day home. There are more than 2,900 active licensed/approved programs in Alberta.