Childcare Centre Proposal Moves into University Capital Planning

Reliable childcare affects whether a graduate student parent can attend a seminar, teach a class, conduct research or complete fieldwork. The GSA has received the business plan for a proposed childcare centre and is reviewing its assumptions, scope and next steps. This moves the initiative from identifying a need toward testing how a workable service could be developed.

The GSA is preparing a Capital Planning Request with university partners for consideration under USask’s Capital Investment Framework. The Strategic Capital Investment Committee (SCIC), made up of the university’s four vice-presidents, reviews capital ideas against institutional priorities and available resources. A request begins that review; it does not mean that the centre, its location or its funding has been approved.

Flexibility remains central to the proposal. Graduate student parents may need care around a lab schedule, teaching assignment or research obligation rather than a conventional nine-to-five workday. Recent changes to provincial childcare funding have also raised concerns among providers and families about access to casual and part-time arrangements. The province says those arrangements may continue, while providers have warned that the funding changes can make them harder to offer. The GSA will continue to bring the needs of graduate student families into these discussions. See the provincial childcare update for the government’s account of the changes.

The GSA requested a meeting with Saskatchewan Education Minister Everett Hindley in November 2025 and was advised this summer that he would not meet with us at this time. We remain open to dialogue as the business plan and university review proceed. Our aim is a proposal grounded in student need, operational reality and a sustainable funding approach.