Since the beginning of this year, the price of childcare in Alberta has dropped to an average of $15 a day. 

The announcement came on Friday morning and was made jointly by the Federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault along with the Province's Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade, Matt Jones.

"The system that we built together is working. Two years ago, fees for regulated childcare in Alberta, were reduced by an average of 50 per cent. This year, as Minister Jones, has mentioned, Alberta reached the incredible milestone of $15 a day for licensed care spots," Minister Boissonnault said.

Boissonnault said that the goal is to lower costs to $10 a day by March 2026.

"Our government heard from Canadians and took action in 2021 to lower childcare fees for Albertans, saving families thousands of dollars each month. Providing $15 a day child care is a life changer – allowing parents to return to work, children to receive adequate care and learning opportunities and to allow our economy to grow," he added.

Minister Jones said that since the signing of the Canada – Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement in 2021, the provincial government alongside the federal government, supported the creation of an estimated 20,000 childcare spaces in the province. 

"Through the Affordability Grant and child care subsidy, Alberta families are saving up to $13,700 per year at a time when the cost of almost everything else is going up. We will continue to work collaboratively with the federal government to ensure quality child care in Alberta is sustainable for providers, affordable for Alberta families and where children can thrive."

Also as part of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the Government of Canada is investing close to $3.8 billion over five years to help improve regulated early learning and child care for children up to kindergarten age in the province.

The federal government is also aiming to create approximately 250,000 new childcare spaces across the country by March 2026 to give families affordable childcare options, no matter where they live. Alberta has committed to creating up to 68,700 new regulated childcare spaces as a part of this target.

Earlier this month, the province announced that child-care providers will receive about 80 per cent of their monthly claim at the beginning of each month, in addition to the fees they collect from parents. The claim advance applies to child-care facilities, family day home agencies, pre-schools and out-of-school care providers. 

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM

DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app. For breaking news, weather and contest alerts click here.

Related Stories