Nearly $19 Million Allocated for Licensed Child Care Centres and Homes by Province
Recently, the government announced the allocation of nearly $19 million from the Federal Safe Restart Agreement for licensed Saskatchewan child care centres and homes to help offset additional expenses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our government understands the importance of accessible, high-quality child care for Saskatchewan families and our province’s economic recovery,” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said. “This investment will give certainty to those working in the child care sector and provide the support and resources needed to continue safely caring for children.”
The intent of the funding is to provide targeted support to facilities that have been financially impacted by COVID-19. This funding will help facilities with the costs of implementing additional safety measures and will allow for continued access to child care for parents and caregivers returning to work.
Two grants will be provided: a one-time COVID Supplement Grant of $600 per space to all licensed child care centres and homes totalling nearly $10.6 million, and a one-time Deficit Support Grant will be provided to those facilities that experienced deficits based on the financial information submitted to the ministry in February for a total of more than $8.3 million. Facilities eligible for the Deficit Support Grant will receive detailed payment information from their Early Learning and Child Care Consultant.
Since March 2020, the Government of Saskatchewan has continued to provide centres with their operating grants. While some of the centres closed due to the pandemic, their operating grants continued to be provided by the Ministry of Education.
In December 2020, the Government of Saskatchewan provided licensed child care facilities a one-time $100/space grant ($1.764 million) for personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies using the federal Safe Restart funding.
For centres that were designated to provide child care to those working or returning to work under the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan, additional grants were provided.
The Government of Saskatchewan will continue to work to ensure child care facilities and staff are supported during this unprecedented time.
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