Too many families across Canada lack access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care. That’s why the Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories, including Alberta, to provide families in Canada with $10-a-day, on average, regulated child care for children up to kindergarden age by March 2026. This is a plan to make life more affordable, create new jobs, get parents—especially mothers—back into the workforce, grow the middle class, and offer each child the best possible start in life.

“Today’s announcement marks significant progress in creating a strong child care system that makes life more affordable for Alberta families. This fee reduction means families could be saving up to $13,700 a year, leaving more money in the pockets of parents to help them afford other essentials. I look forward to continuing to work with the province towards our shared goal of an average fee of $10-a-day child care so every family has access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care.”

– The Honourable Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

“Our government heard from Canadians and took action in 2021 to lower child care 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.”

– The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages 

“High-quality, affordable and accessible child care continues to be a cornerstone of Alberta’s ongoing success in both attracting new citizens and growing the economy. 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.” 

– The Honourable Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade for Alberta

• Alberta signed its Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement on November 14, 2021.

• As part of the agreement with Alberta, 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.

• This is in addition to the over $290 million announced through the Canada-Alberta Early Learning and Child Care Agreement – 2021 to 2025. Additionally, the federal government invested about $56 million through a one-time investment in 2021–2022 to support operators and staff through increased early childcare workforce supports.

• On January 31, 2023, the Governments of Canada and Alberta announced the Alberta Cost Control Framework and For-Profit Expansion Plan. The Cost Control Framework and For-Profit Expansion Plan ensures the sound and reasonable use of public funds in Alberta’s for-profit child care sector. The framework also guides how federal funds can be used to support the development of up to 22,500 new child care spaces among Alberta’s for-profit child care providers over the remainder of the Canada-Alberta Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

• As part of Budget 2021, the Government of Canada made a transformative investment of more than $27 billion over five years to build a Canada-wide early learning and child care system with provinces and territories. Combined with other investments, including in Indigenous early learning and child care, up to $30 billion over five years will be provided in support of early learning and child care.

• As part of the Canada-wide early learning and child care system, the Government of Canada aims to create approximately 250,000 new child care spaces across the country by March 2026 to give families affordable child care options, no matter where they live. Alberta has committed to creating up to 68,700 new regulated child care spaces as a part of this target. 

• Since the signing of the agreement, as of December 2023, about 22,000 net new spaces have been created in Alberta. All of these spaces have been funded under the Canada-Alberta Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

Associated links

• Toward $10-a-day: Early Learning and Child Care
• Canada – Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement - 2021 to 2026

For media enquiries, please contact:

Soraya Lemur
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Jenna Sudds
soraya.lemur@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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