Excerpt
Alberta’s new flat-rate child-care fee of roughly $15 a day means the discontinuation of the subsidy program currently in place, and those in the field say families will have to pay more out of pocket.
Jobs, Economy and Trade Minister Matt Jones announced on Thursday that starting April 1, the cost for families with children in full-time child care will be a flat monthly fee of $326.25. But with the changes comes the end to the income-based child-care subsidy program.
Child Care Now Alberta chairwoman Susan Cake said generally a flat fee is a “good move” and will lower costs across the province, but putting an end to the child-care subsidy program will be harmful for low income families.
“There’s a lot of families who are paying under what the flat rate is, and they’re going to see increases,” said Cake, whose organization advocates for accessible high-quality child care.
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