The letter confirms fears being raised by childcare providers for months across Saskatchewan, including at town halls attended by Moe’s own do-nothing Sask. Party MLAs. It was sent out to families the same day a similar letter was sent by the Moose Jaw YMCA — Carla Beck’s team obtained the Regina letter after providers saw them go public with the Moose Jaw version.
The YMCA operates seven childcare centres in Regina and four in Moose Jaw.
The letter informs families that childcare providers have been authorized by the Ministry of Education to introduce additional fees to offset ongoing operational deficits. Those fees include a new $75-per-month “fundraising fee,” a $15-per-month administration fee and a one-time $125 enrolment fee.
“This is all Scott Moe’s fault,” said Joan Pratchler, Shadow Minister for Early Learning & Childcare. “He has starved childcare providers of funding with these new changes and now it’s everyday families that will pay the price.
“This is not what Saskatchewan families were promised. They were lied to by Scott Moe, his Education Minister Everett Hindley and everyone else in the Sask. Party. Now, they’re being ignored except when it comes time to collect additional payment.”
The YMCA letter states that while federal and provincial funding programs have helped make childcare more affordable, those funding sources "do not fully cover the increasing costs associated with operating a YMCA childcare centre."
On Wednesday, changes were put into place that stripped childcare providers of funding for part-time and casual spaces, which are relied on by healthcare workers and others performing shift work.
“This is all so terribly shortsighted,” Pratchler said. "Affordable childcare isn't a luxury, it’s an economic driver and necessity.
“It's what allows parents to go to work, businesses to find workers and communities to flourish.”
Saskatchewan people report higher financial insecurity than anywhere else in Canada and have in poll after poll for more than a year.
Carla Beck’s team continues to call for a reversal of the harmful July 1 changes and for Scott Moe to get to the table with childcare providers and hammer out a deal that reflects the needs of Saskatchewan families and supports the province’s future.
“We deserve better than this,” Pratchler said. “We can deliver affordable childcare that actually works for today’s families and for incredible frontline staff who work long shifts to benefit our province.
“Carla Beck’s team has heard your calls, and we intend to deliver for all of you. It’s time for change.”
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