By Sheldon Spackman

New and newly affordable child care spaces on the way for Red Deer

Apr 28, 2018 | 2:38 PM

More child care spaces and more affordable child care spaces are being made available to families in Red Deer and throughout Alberta.

The government announced this week that it is adding 6,000 $25-a-day child care spaces across the province, with 90 of those earmarked for Red Deer.

It is part of an announcement that a further 100 Early Learning and Child Care Centres will be opening across the province, in addition to the 22 centres already operating in Alberta. Officials say the additional centres will provide parents with nearly five times as many affordable options as currently exist and save parents and average of $425 every month. Roughly 400 child care jobs are also expected to be created.

Of Red Deer’s 90 new and newly affordable $25-a-day child care spaces announced, 78 existing spaces will be at Red Deer Child Care – Pines Day Care, while 12 brand-new spaces will be at Federation des parents francophone de l’Alberta at Ecole La Prairie.

According to Children’s Services officials, the Central Region of Alberta will see a total of 767 spaces distributed throughout 15 Early Learning and Child Care Centres, including the Kids3Day Care and OSC in Blackfalds, Community Ties Daycare in Penhold and new Centres in Olds and Caroline among other communities.

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In total, Budget 2018 is said to support 7,300 affordable child care spaces in communities across the province, thanks in part to a bilateral agreement with the Government of Canada.

That agreement will see the federal government invest $136 million over three years to expand Alberta’s program.

In addition to $10 million announced last year by the Alberta Government, the province will invest another $4.5 million towards the program’s expansion.