Families in Alberta will have access to thousands of private licensed child-care spaces as a result of ongoing advocacy with the federal government.

The Alberta-Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (ACELCC), which reflects the province's mixed-market child-care system that includes both private and non-profit providers, is the result of ongoing efforts by Children's Services to ensure that it benefits Alberta families.

The next step in expanding childcare options in Alberta was reaching an agreement with the federal government on the Cost Control Framework and For-Profit Expansion Plan. 

For a total of 68,700 new licensed child-care spaces by the end of March 2026, up to 22,500 extra licensed private child-care spaces may now become eligible for financing supports over the next three years. These initiatives will lower childcare costs for parents in Alberta and enhance access to childcare throughout the province.

“We negotiated a made-in-Alberta child-care deal that would improve access to affordable, accessible, and quality child care for Albertans. We fought hard for a deal that would fully include our valued private operators, because we knew the success of this program relies on the innovation and creativity of these, oftentimes, female entrepreneurs who serve families and kids across the province. This framework was the next step in that agreement, and I’m glad to see we can now move ahead on creating more spaces,” explained Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Municipal Affairs for the province of Alberta.

In order to lower parent fees for more Alberta families, up to 1,600 of the 22,500 newly constructed private spaces may be eligible for funding nearly immediately, with up to 2,000 more available as soon as licensing requirements are completed.

According to Matt Jones, Minister of Affordability and Utilities, “as a government, we respect parental choice in child care and are focused on keeping child care affordable for families. This cost control framework is another important step towards affordable, accessible, and high-quality child care for all Albertans.”

As of September 2022, more than 112,000 spaces for children up to kindergarten age are eligible for funding support in both private and non-profit licensed child-care programs.

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