Play to Learn in Elk Point approved for $25/day Daycare

Parents in Elk Point will be able to find more affordable childcare with the Government of Alberta’s announcement that Play to Learn Daycare has received approval for $25/day childcare.

Director for Play to Learn, Melanie Poulin, says she excited for the possibilities, “this is such a good thing for our community. It’s going to bring more people to work and maybe even bring new people to town.”

The affordable childcare means that more parents will both be able to return to the workforce and could even attract new families to town.

The daycare plans on expanding to 53 children and moving into its former location just off downtown Elk Point.

The centre had to move to a smaller location about a year ago, explained Poulin, “the utilities and overhead was too much for us. Many families weren’t able to continue childcare after having a second child, so we lost some kids.”

Poulin believes with the $25/day rate more families with multiple kids will be able to afford childcare. This is a significant financial benefit that will encourage many parents to rejoin the work force.

Poulin is also open to the idea of expanding hours and days of operation, she said first they will make the move to the other centre and grow the business from there.

In addition to the $25/day cap, the daycare also offers government subsidies for those who qualify.

Starting June 1, 2018, Play to Learn Daycare will offer:
• Capped parent fees at $25/day care,
• Begin implementing the early learning and child care curriculum framework*,
• Inclusive supports for children with diverse needs

Poulin says there is an application process which is fill on a first-come-first-serve basis. TTo be included on our waiting list, please email info@play2learndaycare.ca .

Links and resources
• Early Learning and Child Care Centre grant recipients and fact sheet https://alberta.ca/early-learning-child-care-centres.aspx

• Child care in Alberta http://www.humanservices.alberta.ca/family-…/child-care.html

• Child Care subsidies http://www.humanservices.alberta.ca/financial-su…/15104.html

Questions
If you have additional questions about Alberta’s new Early Learning and Child Care Centres, please contact: ELCC@gov.ab.ca.
*Play, Participation, and Possibilities: An Early Learning and Child Care Curriculum Framework for Alberta by Makovichuk,L., Hewes, J., Lirette, P., & Thomas, N., is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution –NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on the work found at www.childcareframework.com