Sask. childcare accessibility continues to be a struggle despite increased funding

In May 2024 it was announced Saskatchewan would receive $27.7 million in funding from the federal government.

Laughter, play and teachable moments fill the rooms of early learning centres across the province. But behind the curtains, many centres are understaffed and facing growing waitlists.

“We get five or 10 calls and emails a day (plus) walk-ins from parents looking for childcare,” Megan Schmidt, director of First Years Learning Centre, said.

“We certainly have quality childcare in Saskatchewan, but accessibility to it is next to impossible.”

She went on to explain she has seen waitlists of two to three years for families. For her centre, the waitlist is 2,100 kids long.

“There is not much that we can do,” Schmidt said. “We’re only licensed for 90 and we don’t see a lot of children leave our centre. They typically start as infants and then are with us right up until they are done kindergarten.”

According to Schmidt, the move to offer more affordable childcare from different levels of government was introduced out of order.

“I don’t know if it was rolled out too fast but it was done backwards,” she said. “They said ‘Let’s have affordable childcare’ but there was no thought to where these children would actually go.”

Saskatchewan introduced $10 a day childcare in 2023. Earlier in May 2024, it was announced Saskatchewan would receive $27.7 million in funding from the federal government’s Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund to add more childcare spaces in the province.