This paper sketches the context of early learning and child care under the Canada-wide plan, and then reviews Saskatchewan’s child care history and current policyscape. It highlights both the long Saskatchewan tradition of non-profit services and the province’s key child care challenges. It presents Canadian and international research that underscores the pitfalls and risks of a for-profit child care route. It ends by identifying alternatives that build on Saskatchewan’s strengths to address the province’s child care challenges.