Saskatchewan Daycares Warn New Funding Rules Threaten $10-a-Day Model

Saskatchewan daycare providers are urging the provincial government to rethink changes to the $10-a-day childcare funding rules ^[1].

These changes matter because operators warn that the new funding structure creates service gaps that could force some childcare centres to close. This instability threatens the accessibility of affordable care for families across the province.

The appeals follow reports from mid-May and early June that the $10-a-day model is at risk [1, 2]. The funding changes are scheduled to take effect with the 2026-27 fiscal year ^[3]. Providers, including those at the YMCA Albert Street Childcare Centre in Regina, said the province's new rules leave critical gaps in service [1, 4].

Without sufficient federal money, operators said the current trajectory undermines the goal of the $10-a-day deal [1, 2]. The province previously signed a deal on Nov. 28, 2025, to extend the federal agreement for five years [3, 4]. That agreement expanded eligibility to include children turning six ^[3].

Minister of Education Everett Hindley said federal funding is not sufficient for the full $10-a-day child-care plan ^[5]. The provincial government said it is trying to preserve existing spaces, though it maintains that more federal funding is required to sustain the model ^[2].

Daycare operators argue that the province's shift in funding rules places an unsustainable burden on providers. They said the current provincial approach risks the very infrastructure required to deliver the federally mandated price caps [1, 2].