Now is the best time in years to start or expand a child care operation in Alberta. With $3.8 billion government dollars pledged towards creating 68,700 new child care spaces in the province by 2026, there is unprecedented funding available for eligible applicants through the Child Care - Space Creation Grant.

We’ve created this detailed guide to help you get answers to the most important questions about the grant, like:

1. If you are eligible

2. How much you could qualify for

3. How to qualify  
       3.1. If you’re applying for an existing space        
        3.2. If you’re starting a new space

4. What are the different types of space creation

5. How to complete the application

6. Other FAQs

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Find out if you qualify

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Qualifying for the grant can depend on where your new child care space is located within Alberta and the specific type of space it is in terms of the Early Learning & Child Care Act of Alberta. Here are the specifics

Where is your business – is it in a high demand or high need area?

The grant is focused on areas that have high demand and/or high need as determined by ‘Alberta’s child care coverage rates’.

Look here to see which areas the government is targeting the grant towards.

• If in a red, orange or beige region, you are in an area the government considers to be in need of more licensed child care – and are more likely to receive grant funding.

Please also note that spaces in areas in white may qualify for the grant if the government determines it is an area with ‘high demand’. The best way to find out is to apply.

Are you Licensed?

To qualify, a child care operator must be licensed under Early Learning and Child Care Act and Regulation.

Your Space

The following types of child care are eligible to apply:

• Facility-Based: Daycares, out-of-school programs, preschools.
• Home-Based: Family Day Home Agencies.
• Both non-profit and private operators.

Estimate how much you qualify for

Operators can get between $1350 to $6000 per space depending on

• If they are a new or existing operator
• If they are expanding an existing space or creating a new space
• Operator type (facility-based vs home-based)
• Childcare coverage in the area of the space

Use this tool to estimate how many grant dollars your project(s) could be eligible for:

How to qualify

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What does ‘creating a new space’ mean?

In the context of the grant, there are two main types of ‘space creation’:

• Changing or adding to an existing space
• Starting a completely new space

Below we get into examples.