Saskatchewan child care fees going down 70% starting Sept. 1

Starting September 1, regulated child care fees will be reduced by an average of 70 per cent compared to March 2021 levels, according to the provincial government.

The government news release added there are about 16,000 regulated child care spaces for children under six in both home daycares and child care centres.

Education minister Dustin Duncan said this fee reduction means the province is one step closer to its goal of $10-a-day child care by 2025.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“Fee reductions for regulated child care spaces is the latest way our government is putting more money back in the pockets of families across the province,” Duncan stated in the release.

A family with an infant in full-time, regulated child care can expect a drop of up to $550 per month from what they paid in January 2022.

“Child care homes and centres set their own fees, meaning there is a range of fees families may pay. Full-time fees will not be reduced to below $200 a month for families,” the release added.

Accent on Kids Executive Director Rhona Oystrick said lowering child care fees will ensure families can access affordable, and high-quality learning and child care services.

“Some parents’ decision about whether or not to return to work will be directly influenced by more affordable child care. The financial strain on families with children in child care will be alleviated,” Oystrick said.

The fee reduction is part of close to $1.1 billion being put towards child care in Saskatchewan through the 2021-22 to 2025-26 Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning Child Care Agreement.

“Parent fee reductions represent spending of $13.4 million over the last fiscal year and a total of $74 million for 2022-23.”