ACE warns half of Alberta preschools could close without funding changes

The Association of Canadian Early Learning Programs says Alberta’s child care grant is pushing families toward daycare and away from licensed preschools, putting access and parental choice at risk. ACE wants the province to equalize affordability funding before more programs close or convert.

Why it matters: - ACE says Alberta families could lose licensed preschool options if the province does not change how it funds part-time early learning. - The group warns that closures would reduce parental choice and shrink access to the learning environments preschools provide. - The issue also affects Alberta’s ability to preserve licensed spaces counted under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement.

What happened: - The Association of Canadian Early Learning Programs released preliminary findings from its Alberta Preschool Sustainability Survey. - ACE found that 74% of licensed preschool operators report declining enrollment. - ACE found that 81% of operators say families are choosing daycare because fees are lower. - ACE found that half of respondents expect to close their preschool before or during the 2026-2027 school year if the funding model stays the same. - Krystal Churcher, ACE chair, said licensed preschools are closing because government policy is making one licensed option cheaper than another.

The details: - Alberta’s Child Care Affordability Grant gives families choosing part-time daycare significantly more affordability funding than families choosing a licensed preschool. - Both preschool and daycare are licensed under the same legislation. - Both program types count toward Alberta’s child care space targets under CWELCC. - Alberta counts preschool spaces equally, but does not fund them equally. - ACE is urging the province to immediately address the funding gap between licensed preschools and licensed daycares offering part-time care. - ACE also wants equitable affordability funding regardless of whether families choose preschool or daycare for part-time early learning. - The group wants an interim funding fix to prevent more closures and license conversions while a long-term model is developed. - ACE is calling for a model in which affordability funding follows children across all licensed early learning options. - Churcher said families should be able to choose the program that best fits a child’s needs, not the one that government funding makes cheapest.

Between the lines: - ACE is tying its Alberta campaign to a broader policy argument made by provincial premiers to Ottawa. - Last week’s joint statement from Canada’s premiers called for childcare funding that is flexible enough to support the families who need it most. - The premiers also pointed to income testing and the treatment of private and nonprofit spaces as areas where the current approach falls short. - ACE argues Alberta should apply the same flexibility at home by supporting different licensed early learning models more evenly. - The group says a diverse early learning system gives families more practical choice, not less.

What’s next: - ACE wants the Alberta government to act before additional preschools close or convert to other models. - The group is pressing for an interim measure while the province develops a longer-term funding formula. - ACE says the next model should let affordability funding follow children rather than preferred program types.

The bottom line: - ACE says Alberta’s current grant structure is unsustainable for licensed preschools and could force families into fewer, not more, early learning choices.