Late last week, the province announced that beginning this month, child-care providers will receive about 80 per cent of their monthly claim at the beginning of each month, in addition to the fees they collect from parents.
The claim advance will apply to child-care facilities, family day home agencies, pre-schools and out-of-school care providers.
The announcement came on the day after the announcement of the provincial budget and several weeks after the government promised to relieve some financial burdens that childcare providers had been vocal about during the past several months.
"This change to monthly claim advances will help achieve the government’s commitment to introducing a new payment approach, ensuring child-care providers receive grant payments sooner. In addition, by providing the majority of funding up front, Alberta’s government is helping to reduce financial pressures on child-care providers as the government continues to move forward in the transformation of the child-care system," a release stated.
Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade, Matt Jones added that by providing up-front funding, child-care providers will be able to continue focusing on, 'what they do best: providing high-quality child care that meets the diverse needs of Alberta families.'
Federal Minister of Children and Social Development, Jenna Sudds applauded the move.
"By expediting the provision of monthly funding, Alberta is responding to providers' concerns so they can focus on delivering high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care to families in Alberta," Sudds said. "I want to recognize Alberta’s efforts to support child-care providers and look forward to continued collaboration to build a stronger and more resilient Canada-wide early learning and child-care system."
The province added that it will continue to engage with child-care providers, parents and its federal counterparts on early learning and child care as the transformation of the province’s child-care system moves forward, including a new funding formula and achieving an average parent fee of $10 per day by 2026.
Many eligible child-care providers will have received their claim advance on or near March 1.
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