October 2025 Election: Municipal Candidate Child Care Pledge

Countdown to Municipal Election

Happening on October 20, 2025

Alberta’s municipal elections will be held on Monday, October 20, 2025. Albertans will have an opportunity to vote for a mayor, councillors, public and Catholic school trustees.

We Are Asking Municipal Candidates to Pledge To:

  1. Be a Champion for Child Care
    Advocate for a high-quality, inclusive child care system that supports families, educators, and communities, and ensures long-term sustainability.

  2. Expand Access to Affordable Child Care
    Work to increase the availability of regulated child care spaces, especially in underserved areas, and support measures that make child care more affordable and inclusive for all families. Additionally, work to collaborate with federal and provincial governments to build on the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) initiative.

  3. Strengthen Municipal Leadership
    Promote the municipality’s role in child care planning and advocacy, ensuring local needs are reflected in provincial and federal policy decisions through data-informed planning and community consultation.

Show Your Support

Download our social media template and add your photo to show your support for child care. Click here to download.

Post on your social media and make sure to tag us!

Instagram: @child_care_now_alberta
Twitter: @ChildcarenowAB
Facebook: CareAlberta

Find Candidates Who Signed the Child Care Pledge

Select your municipality to see pledged candidates:

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of all municipalities in Alberta. Do you know a candidate who would like to champion child care? Share our campaign materials with them and encourage them to sign the pledge! Signed pledges can be sent to alberta@childcarenow.ca, and we will post about their support online.

Why Does Child Care Matter for Municipalities?

Child care is essential to the well-being of families, the healthy development of children, and the strength of our local economy. It enables parents—especially mothers—to participate in the workforce, supports early learning, and contributes to community resilience.

The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) Program

Launched in 2021, CWELCC is a federal-provincial initiative aimed at reducing child care fees to $10/day, expanding access, and improving quality. Alberta signed on in 2022, committing to space creation, workforce support, and affordability targets.

While child care is often seen as a provincial or federal responsibility, municipalities can play a critical role in:

  • Planning and coordinating local child care services.
  • Supporting infrastructure and zoning for new centres.
  • Advocating for community needs in provincial and federal policy.
  • Operating municipally-run child care centres or partnering with providers.
  • Accessing the Building Blocks Capital Grant Program to create more registered child care spaces in their communities.

In many Alberta communities, families face challenges such as:

  • Long waitlists for regulated child care.
  • Limited access in underserved communities.
  • Workforce shortages and retention issues for Educators.
  • Gaps in inclusive care for children with disabilities, newcomers, and Indigenous families.

Municipal leaders can:

  • Champion child care as a local priority.
  • Collaborate with other levels of government to expand access.
  • Support the early childhood workforce through
  • Ensure child care is integrated into broader planning (e.g., housing, transit, economic development).