GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES 500 NEW CHILD CARE SPACES AND MORE SUBSIDIES ACROSS THE PROVINCE

Education Minister Ken Krawetz and Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer today announced 500 new licensed child care spaces in 17 Saskatchewan communities along with increased funding to subsidize the additional spaces.

"Our growing economy has created an unprecedented demand for child care as more parents want to find their place in the workforce, or pursue post-secondary education," Krawetz said. "These 500 new licensed spaces, at a cost of $1.7 million, will provide more Saskatchewan parents with a high quality early learning and child care environment for their children."

The new spaces have been allocated to new developments or currently operating child care centres in Birch Hills, Churchbridge, Clavet, Esterhazy, Foam Lake, Ituna, Kipling, Luseland, McLean, Meadow Lake, Melfort, Nipawin, Ogema, Perdue, Regina, Saskatoon and Yorkton.

"We are pleased to work together with the Ministry of Education to ensure that more children have access to child care and early learning opportunities and to enable their parents to further their education or participate in the workforce," Harpauer said. "We have increased the 2008-09 Child Care Subsidy budget by $1.1 million annually to ensure that licensed child care is affordable for Saskatchewan parents."

Subsidies are provided directly to child care facilities on behalf of eligible parents to reduce the fees charged. The program subsidized over 3,600 child care spaces in April 2008 at an average monthly subsidy of $370 per space. The monthly subsidy can range up to $570 for an infant in a licensed child care centre in Regina, Saskatoon and specific northern communities.

The announcement was made at the Saskatoon Open Door Society child care centre which received 45 new spaces to open a second centre. Of the new spaces, 358 are in rural communities, 26 are in Melfort, 45 are in Regina, 57 in Saskatoon and 14 in Yorkton.

In the provincial budget the government increased its investment by $4.5 million for early learning and child care. This includes an increase in spaces, child care wages, subsidy enhancements along with $2 million more to fund 38 additional Prekindergarten programs.

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For more information, contact:

Jacquie McLean
Education
Regina
Phone: 306-787-5609
Email: jacquie.mclean@gov.sk.ca

Brian Miller
Social Services
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0531
Email: bmiller2@cr.gov.sk.ca