Canadian province adds 13,000 child care spaces, to increase to 28,000 by 2026, thus creating jobs

Saskatchewan, a province in Canada has added 13,000 subsidised childcare spaces, with a goal of adding 28,000 spaces by 2026, a move expected to generate more jobs.

Nigerians in Canada can now benefit from these jobs which will include daycare workers, childcare worker assistants, daycare helpers, daycare supervisors, early childhood assistants, workers and educators, early childhood program staff assistants and supervisors, preschool helpers and supervisors, daycare teachers and educator assistant for junior kindergarten.

The province recently announced this series of amendments to the Child Care Act to enhance access to affordable early learning and childcare.

Since 2022, families in Saskatchewan with children under the age of six in provincially licensed childcare have received a fee reduction grant. This initiative aims to bring the province closer to the federal government’s commitment to provide $10-a-day childcare.

The new Child Care Fund will enable all provinces and territories to increase their investments in child care, allowing more families to save up to $14,300 annually per child.

The fund aims to support families in rural and remote communities, as well as those facing barriers to access, including racialized groups, indigenous people, newcomers, official language minority communities, and individuals with disabilities.

Additionally, funding may be allocated to develop infrastructure for care during non-standard hours, ensuring wider accessibility and support for working parents. Sue Delanoy, a long-time advocate for increased childcare capacity and improvements, welcomed the changes but remains and hopes.

“The workforce isn’t there, we don’t pay people enough money to stay in it, so all the balls need to be kicking at all times for this to work,” Delanoy said.

This is one of the best pressures that we’re facing in our province,” Everett Hindley, education minister said.

“The legislative changes that we have introduced we feel will help with that, and help us to be able to try to find and create more childcare spaces in this province to address some of the waiting lists, pressures and demand that we have right across Saskatchewan.”

The goal is to not only expand an organization’s ability to develop more spaces while also allowing more spaces to become licensed with “alternative child-care services,” the province said in a news release.