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Some Alberta parents were caught off guard by changes announced Thursday that will raise their daycare bills by hundreds of dollars a month starting April 1.
"It's shocking," said Robyn Sloboda, a Grande Prairie resident with two children in daycare. "We're really hoping we can make ends meet."
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Robyn Sloboda's two boys are 20 months and four years old. The family pays $48 a month for both children to attend a registered daycare, and another $60 per child monthly for lunches and snacks.
Sloboda learned about the funding change via an email from the director of her children's daycare. She said her family could have prepared better for the increased costs if there had been more notice that the subsidy would be ending.
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Alberta needs to create up to 68,700 new childcare spaces, with 42,500 allocated to public or non-profit facilities, under the $3.8 billion Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement.
The agreement is intended to bring child care fees to $10 a day by 2026.
Jones said Alberta is increasing its annual contribution from $250 million to $720 million.
He said Alberta has created 31,000 new spaces so far.