To open a funded child care centre in Saskatchewan, a co-operative, non-profit corporation or municipality applies to the Ministry of Education, and once its spaces are approved it can receive a space development capital grant of up to $13,360 per space toward the building. A modular building is one way to spend that grant: the centre is built indoors while the site is prepared, then set in days and inspected for its licence.
Herauf builds indoors at its 35,000 sq ft plant in Zehner, near Regina, and at Enderby, BC. The daycare line, from 30 to 90 children, is on modular daycares and schools, and the layouts are in the daycare floor plans. This article follows a Saskatchewan centre from application to licence, using the province's own pages and regulations.
Who is eligible for Saskatchewan's child care grants?
To receive Ministry of Education grant funding, the operator must be incorporated as a co-operative, a non-profit corporation or a municipality. For-profit corporations and individuals over 18 can apply to open a centre, but they are not eligible for government funding. Groups that are not yet incorporated can do so through Co-operatives First or Saskatchewan Registry Services.
What are the steps to open a centre?
- Assess the need. Download the province's Opening a Regulated Child Care Centre Checklist and survey your community.
- Submit the Community Needs Assessment Form, with a proposed development and a projected operating budget.
- Complete the online Child Care Centre Development Information Session.
- Wait for review. Applications are accepted and reviewed throughout the year, and new space allocations and funding approvals are made as they go.
- Build, then apply for the licence. Under The Child Care Regulations, 2015, the licence application includes a public health officer's report on the premises, a fire safety report from the Fire Commissioner's local assistant and a report on the heating system.
What grants help pay for the building?
The space development capital grant pays up to $13,360 per space for centres and supports building purchase and renovation costs. It is paid once the ministry has your budget and a timeline for completion, before the centre opens. For a 90-space centre, that is up to $1,202,400. A start-up grant adds $1,360 per space for equipment and furnishings, also paid before opening. The rest of the building has to be financed, which is why a firm, written building price matters early: Herauf can prepare one for your application or your lender.
How much space does a centre need?
The regulations set the floor. Each licensed space needs at least 3.7 square metres of usable floor area, and usable floor area does not count offices, hallways, entryways, washrooms, kitchens, closets, locker areas or mechanical rooms. Each infant space also needs a separate sleeping area of at least 2.3 square metres. Outside, the centre needs 7 square metres of safe outdoor play area per licensed space, at least half of it next to the building.
Worked through for 90 spaces: at least 333 square metres (about 3,580 sq ft) of usable play space before a single office, washroom or kitchen is added, and 630 square metres of outdoor play area. Size the site for both before choosing a building.
Where does a modular building fit?
Between approval and licence. Herauf's daycare line is published in three tiers: 30 to 47 children, 65 to 82 children, and a 90-child centre with school-age, preschool, toddler and infant rooms, a sleep room, a kitchen and a staff room. There are also modular additions that connect to an existing building. The line is designed to meet childcare facility requirements and meets or exceeds CSA A277 and the National Building Code.
Most Herauf builds take about 16 weeks to manufacture and deliver, and the foundation and services go in at the same time. Once the building arrives, installation takes days, and the inspections for the licence follow. Because the grant is paid against a completion timeline, a schedule that does not depend on the weather is worth having.
How to get a quote
Send the number of spaces, the age groups and the site through the daycare quote form, or call 1.639.382.4106. Herauf comes back with a written quote, usually within one business day. Operating in Manitoba instead? See modular daycares and Manitoba's building fund.
Sources
- Government of Saskatchewan, Apply to start a regulated child care centre
- Government of Saskatchewan, Grants for child care centres
- Government of Saskatchewan, The Child Care Regulations, 2015
Common questions
Who can get a child care capital grant in Saskatchewan?
Organizations incorporated as a co-operative, a non-profit corporation or a municipality. For-profit corporations and individuals may apply to open a centre, but they are not eligible for government funding.
How much is Saskatchewan's space development capital grant?
Up to $13,360 per space for centres. It supports building purchase and renovation costs and is paid once the ministry has a budget and a timeline for completion, before the centre opens. A separate start-up grant pays $1,360 per space before opening.
How much space does a Saskatchewan child care centre need?
The Child Care Regulations, 2015 require at least 3.7 square metres of usable floor area per licensed space, not counting offices, hallways, washrooms, kitchens and storage, plus a separate sleeping area of at least 2.3 square metres per infant space, and an outdoor play area of 7 square metres per licensed space.
Does Herauf build modular daycares?
Yes. Herauf's daycare line is published in tiers of 30 to 47, 65 to 82 and 90 children, plus modular additions to an existing building. It is built indoors, designed to meet childcare facility requirements, and meets or exceeds CSA A277 and the National Building Code.
Modules on the Zehner plant floor