It was made official Friday morning: Saskatchewan signed an extension of its child-care agreement with the federal government.

This multi-year federal investment of $1.6 billion follows the initial agreement which provided $1.1 billion over five years for $10-a-day child care.

Originally signed in 2021 and set to expire early next year, Friday’s announcement confirmed the extension of the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement for an additional five years, starting in 2026.

“This agreement reflects the needs of Saskatchewan families and supports the flexibility of our child-care landscape,” said Saskatchewan Education Minister Everett Hindley in a media release.

“Since 2021, we have created thousands of new spaces and reduced fees to $10 a day. We will continue to build on that tremendous progress to deliver affordable, high-quality care and support the dedicated professionals who make it possible.”

Saskatchewan had been under pressure to extend the program which was set to expire at the end of March.

The program renewal is being welcomed by parents.

“It’s awesome for people now with high grocery prices and just another cut is always good for us,” Dustin Sturgess said.

Also extended are the Canada-Saskatchewan Bilateral Early Learning and Child Care Agreement for another five years, starting in 2026-2027, and the Infrastructure Fund for an additional year, until 2026-2027.

The extended agreements include expanded age eligibility so that children who turn six while attending Kindergarten can continue to receive $10 a day care until they complete the school year.

Base funding for early learning and child care programs will increase by three per cent per year for four years starting in 2027-2028. Saskatchewan has created more than 91 per cent of the 28,000 additional child care spaces targeted in the initial agreement with the federal government in 2021 and was the third province to reduce child care fees to $10 a day.

The target was to create 28,000 new childcare spaces under a program that began in 2021. Saskatchewan says it has now attained 91 per cent of that goal.