Regina child care centre faces ‘funding crisis’ over $10-a-day child care

A Regina child care provider is worried about its long-term stability.

Scott Infant and Toddler Centre in North Central said it’s facing a funding crisis due to the $10-a-day child care program. Board chair Victor Roman Morrow said the centre has lost more than $135,000 since the funding model was introduced.

Roman Morrow said the financial issues are a result of the centre not having control over its own fees.

“Under the new funding model we get a certain amount of fees essentially from the government, and what we’re receiving isn’t actually equaling close to what we need in order to make sure that the centre is viable,” he told 980 CJME.

Scott Infant and Toddler Centre has been around for more than 30 years and has 33 licensed spots. It also provides services to teen parents.

Funding for the $10-a-day child care program comes from both the federal and provincial governments, but it is up to provincial government to determine how it is allocated.

Before the initiative was implemented, the centre charged lower fees than many other child care centres, as it prioritized affordability.

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Roman Morrow said the centre finds itself financially disadvantaged because it receives “significantly” less funding per child than many other centres, and less than what is allocated to new centres.

“The current funding model is unsustainable for us. We’re essentially burning through our reserves to keep providing affordable child care,” Tamara Humenny, the centre’s executive director, said in a media release last month.

“If this continues without adequate and equitable funding being provided to our centre, we will be forced to close our doors in just 30 months.”

In a statement emailed to 980 CJME, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education said it conducts ongoing funding reviews of financial supports for all child care facilities to ensure the facilities remain viable and have access to sustainable, long-term funding for their core operations.

“The ministry has continued to increase individual grants and overall investments in the childcare sector year over year to address cost pressures,” the ministry said.

Between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2023, facilities were able to increase fees by five per cent. They are also allowed a 2.5 per cent increase between April 1, 2023 and Sept. 30 of this year.

But Roman Morrow said this is widening the gap, since Scott Infant and Toddler Centre was already charging low rates to begin with. He said the allowance wouldn’t make as much of a positive difference as it would for a centre that might have already been charging as much as 30 per cent more than his.

Roman Morrow said the board has been in talks with the ministry to explain its situation and needs, but it is still looking for long-term assurances.

The ministry said it provided child care facilities with $19 million in one-time operating support grants to help deal with inflationary pressures in February.

Roman Morrow said he’s supportive of the $10-per-day program, but the funding model needs to be improved to ensure all centres can provide affordable daycare.