The Government of Alberta (GOA) has launched this initiative to understand child care needs at the local level. The goal is to collect real data from communities to guide decisions on funding, workforce planning, and space creation under the Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. 

For municipalities and community organizations, this is an opportunity to:

• Understand the need for licensed child care spaces in your region. 

• Identify challenges preventing families from accessing child care. 

• Get support in developing community-driven actionable insights to improve local child care services. 

• Ensure provincial strategies align with your community’s realities. 

Your input will shape policy discussions and could help inform future funding allocations. 

Participation is flexible, and the time commitment will depend on the engagement options selected. You can pick one or more – here’s an estimated breakdown:

Child Care Needs Survey: ~15-20 minutes to complete. 

Virtual Information Session: 60-90 minutes. 

Data Sharing & Assessment Tool Completion: Varies depending on data availability (~20 mins). 

Report Submission & Written Feedback: Open-ended. 

Focus Groups & Community Engagement: 1-2 hours per session. 

Communities will be asked to share local child care data to ensure findings reflect real conditions. This may include:

Supply data (number of licensed spaces, operating hours, types of programs). 

Demand indicators (waitlists, population trends, underserved groups). 

Workforce insights (staffing shortages, recruitment challenges). 

Local barriers (affordability concerns, transportation issues, zoning challenges). 

All data is aggregated and anonymized, and we will provide guidance on what’s needed. 

• Participating municipal and Indigenous governments will receive their own tailored report with insights and recommendations specific to their community. 

• GOA will receive anonymized data to inform future child care planning, space creation, and workforce strategies. 

• Deloitte will facilitate the assessment but will not share individual community data beyond GOA without explicit permission. 

• Your community’s report belongs to you – you can use it for local decision-making, funding applications, or planning purposes.

Participation in the Needs Assessment is not a requirement for grant funding, but communities that take part will gain valuable insights that can help strengthen future funding applications. 

GOA will use the findings to shape child care policy and funding priorities under the Building Blocks program.

This assessment is focused on licensed child care (e.g., daycares, preschools, and family day homes regulated under provincial legislation). However, we acknowledge the role of unlicensed care in meeting family needs, and communities can share relevant insights about informal care arrangements.