Excerpts from the news release:
Education Minister Donna Harpauer, today announced that the Saskatchewan Government has allocated 500 new child care spaces to 15 communities across the province.
The allocation is based on the 2012-13 provincial budget which provided $2 million to develop 500 new child care spaces across Saskatchewan, and an additional $4 million to cover the capital costs of those new spaces.
"Increasing the number of high-quality licensed child care spaces for Saskatchewan families is a priority of this government," Harpauer said. "Investing in our children means we are investing in our future. With these new spaces, our government will have increased child care spaces by 42 per cent."
The announcement was made at First Years Child Care centre in Regina during Early Learning and Child Care month. The centre, which will receive 45 new spaces, is one of three organizations in Regina that will be receiving some of this year's allocation.
The remaining spaces will be developed in Carlyle, Dalmeny, Grenfell, Moose Jaw, Oxbow, Prince Albert, Tisdale, Saskatoon, Shellbrook, Stony Rapids, Swift Current, Qu'Appelle, Watson and Yorkton.
Since November 2007, the Government of Saskatchewan has made a record investment in licensed child care, allocating funding for 3,935 new child care spaces to communities across the province. This year's allocation raises the total number of licensed child care spaces in the province to 13,240.