Feds, province provide funding to lower child-care costs in Sask.

The federal and provincial governments took another step Friday toward lowering child-care costs for families in Saskatchewan.

The governments announced funding will be given to licensed facilities in hopes of reducing parents’ out-of-pocket child-care fees by about half, on average, by February. It’s part of the $1.1-billion deal Saskatchewan signed with the federal government in August.

Every family with children under the age of six who are in provincially licensed child care is eligible to receive the parent fee reduction grant, which will range from up to $306 per month to up to $395 per month depending on the age of the child and the type of child care.

The funding is retroactive to July 1.

“Our government’s goal is to ensure that in five years, all families, no matter where they live, will have access to regulated early learning and child care for an average of $10 a day,” Karina Gould, the federal minister of Families, Children and Social Development, said in a media release. “This is a meaningful step toward achieving that goal.

“We are happy that many families in Saskatchewan will benefit from a significant fee reduction of hundreds of dollars per month on average as envisioned in the Canada-wide plan.”

The child-care providers will be responsible for distributing the retroactive funds to eligible families. After that is addressed, the money will be provided to child-care facilities to allow them to lower their fees.

“Addressing affordability is an exciting initial step in building an Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) system in Saskatchewan,” Georgia Lavallee, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association, said in the release.

“High-quality ELCC is a right of all children, which many do not have access to due to high fees. Children in Saskatchewan will have equitable opportunities to the best start in their lives reducing ELCC fees.”

Parents or caregivers who have questions about the grant can send an email to canadawideelccagreementinquiries@gov.sk.ca or call 1-855-824-9419.