For new mom Keatyn Burkholder, childcare in her home community of Lumsden is not an affordable option.
Her daughter Marley turned one earlier this month. For full-time infant childcare, the cheapest option in Lumsden is $740 per month. The only registered daycare option in town is with the YMCA.
To perhaps help families like Burkholder’s, the Government of Saskatchewan is encouraging unregulated home-based childcare providers to register with the Ministry of Education. By becoming government regulated, home-based daycares will have access to subsidies that can reduce childcare fees.
Expense is not the only hurdle for parents in Lumsden. Waitlists for daycares are up to 15 names long, meaning that once parental leave ends and parents return to work, there might not be a spot available for their child.
Burkholder put her daughter’s name on four different waitlists, but she eventually took a spot at a daycare in Regina. She pays $650 per month thanks to grants available to regulated home-based facilities.
“There are reassurances knowing the daycare is government regulated,” Burkholder said. “There are policies that (the childcare provider) needs to follow and there are wellness checks to make sure she is operating properly.”
Aside from government oversight, subsidized childcare helps reduce fees for families. Burkholder recognizes the grant money has helped her access reliable, quality care for her daughter.
“Instead of charging up to clients, it allows the daycare to lower their fees so that families can pay less,” Burkholder said.
The provincial and federal governments are offering regulated facilities a fee reduction grant that can cut parents’ out-of-pocket childcare costs by nearly half. This grant is retroactive to July 1. Grant money can also be used for food expenses, training and workshops.
Burkholder suspects that home-based daycares in Lumsden will hesitate to access government funding.
“They’re making money,” Burkholder said. “There’s nothing stopping them from not getting licensed. There’s such a high demand for daycare in Lumsden, so they don’t need to be licensed to get kids in.”
“A lot of private daycares are just stay-at-home moms. They don’t want the hassle of becoming registered.”
Despite this perception, the Government of Saskatchewan said the registration process is straightforward.
“We have a quick and easy process for home-based childcare providers to become regulated,” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said in a press release. “We encourage unregulated providers to register with the Ministry of Education so they can qualify for additional funds to lower fees for the families they support.”
Childcare providers who are interested in becoming government regulated can find more information on the process on the provincial government website, saskatchewan.ca.
