Researchers have concluded that Saskatchewan’s ranking as the lowest of all Canadian provinces for overall quality and access to regulated child care is the result of multiple factors, including an overall lack of funding, outdated assistance guidelines and, most significantly, a history of regarding child care as a free-market commodity.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative’s Saskatchewan’s Failing Report Card on Child Care examines the factors behind the province’s low ranking and considers the effect of these consequences, which have disproportionately affected families living in rural and remote areas, Indigenous families, single parents, parents who work irregular hours, and low-income families.
The researchers make several policy recommendations for improving and properly funding child care in Saskatchewan, including:
- increased spaces
- qualified staff with fair wages
- gender equity
- considering life outcomes for all Saskatchewan residents
- viewing child care within the wider labour force