Minister of Education Everett Hindley announced adjustments to Saskatchewan's recently expanded $10-a-day child-care system, citing a lack of federal funding to fully support its original targets. The province is shifting focus from rapid growth to sustainability and stabilization, Hindley said on April 23.
New Measures for Child Care
Effective July 1, the $10-a-day program will cover up to 10 hours of daily care. Care providers can charge families for time beyond that, up to an additional value of nearly $200 per month in some cases. Hindley stated that with no additional federal investments to recognize the full cost of an expanded sector, Saskatchewan must pivot.
Federal Funding Agreement
Saskatchewan signed a $1.6-billion funding agreement in November 2025 for subsidized child care covering children aged six and under as of April 1. Parents pay $217.50 per month for full-time care, with government funding covering the remaining costs directly to daycare providers. Three weeks after the agreement took effect, the province announced measures to support long-term viability.
Impact on Families
Cara Werner, chair of Child Care Now Saskatchewan and executive director of Dream Big Child Care in Rocanville, expressed concern that the changes will affect parents, many of whom are nurses or work at nearby potash mines. “They work 12-hours-plus a day. Lots of these families will be charged this extra fee,” she said.
Space Expansion
The province will review which centres are fully booked and allow daycare expansions in those regions. Under the previous agreement, Saskatchewan aimed to open 28,000 child-care spaces. Hindley said the program has met 92 percent of that goal and plans to add about 2,240 more spaces by the end of the financial year.
Funding Shortfall
Hindley could not specify how much more funding is needed to achieve the expanded system, but noted that other provinces have also stated that federal funding under the agreement is insufficient to meet long-term costs.
