Saskatchewan Child Care Glossary

An infant in Saskatchewan is a 0 to 18 month old child.

A toddler in Saskatchewan is a 19 to 29 month old child.

A preschool child is a 30 month old or older child who does not attend elementary school. In general, preschool age in Saskatchewan is 30 to 71 months.

Kindergarten age in Saskatchewan is 5 years old (60 to 71 months).

Child to staff ratio refers to the number of children under the supervision of a single member of staff in a daycare.

This ratio is commonly written in the format “staff member number : number of children”. For example:

• A 1:8 ratio means 1 staff member cares for 8 children.
• A 2:12 ratio means 2 staff members care for 12 children.

Daycare in Saskatchewan is a form of child care that provides supervision of children below the age of 12 years. A daycare primarily focuses on maintaining the well being of your child in a safe and hazard-free environment. Most daycare programs are play-based and not academically focused.

Preschool in Saskatchewan is a form of child care that gradually transitions your child out of a home or daycare environment and into a classroom environment. Preschool is normally offered to 3 to 5 year old children.

Kindergarten in Saskatchewan is a school program offered by elementary schools to children that are at least 5 years old. Most kindergarten programs focus on academic development and prepare your child for classroom education and a school routine.

Prekindergarten in Saskatchewan is a school program offered by elementary schools to children that are 3 to 4 years old.

Prekindergarten is a form of child care. However, unlike typical daycares, early childhood education in prekindergarten is provided by qualified teachers.

A licensed daycare in Saskatchewan is a daycare provider that is registered with the Ministry of Education. Licensed daycares typically meet or exceed the minimum child care standards set by the Ministry of Education and are inspected by the Ministry of Education.

A city-licensed daycare in Saskatchewan is usually an unlicensed daycare provider that possesses a residential business license that permits them to operate a daycare out of their home.

Generally speaking, city-licensed daycares are neither registered with nor possess a license from the Ministry of Education and do not provide subsidized child care.

Unlicensed daycares in Saskatchewan are daycare providers that are not registered with or inspected by the Ministry of Education.

Extended hour daycares in Saskatchewan are daycares that are open after 6:00 p.m on weekdays or open on either Saturday or Sunday. An extended hour daycare does not operate 24 hours a day but rather operates beyond regular work hours on weekdays or opens on weekends.

A late fee in Saskatchewan is a penalty fee charged to a parent when that parent is late to pick up their child from daycare.

Subsidized daycares in Saskatchewan are daycare providers that receive government grants. The grants that subsidized daycares receive often reduce the out of pocket daycare fees paid by parents of enrolled children in these daycares.

A child care subsidy in Saskatchewan is financial assistance provided by the Ministry of Social Services to help low income families pay for licensed daycare.

$10 a day daycare in Saskatchewan is financial assistance provided by the Ministry of Education to make licensed daycare more affordable for all families in Saskatchewan.