School Age Care Directors Association

06/19/2026

The Government of Canada has announced $5.4 billion in new funding over two years to help maintain affordable early learning and child care across the country.

Sustained public investment plays an important role in supporting children, families, educators, and programs. As Alberta's early learning and child care system continues to evolve, investments in the early childhood education workforce remain essential.

Read our full update: https://aecea.ca/news/june-2026-federal-announcement

06/18/2026

After months of conversations, reflection, collaboration, and revision, there's something special about finally holding the finished document in our hands.

The Guiding Principles for Ethical Practice in Early Childhood Education in Alberta were shaped by educators, students, knowledge holders, and community members from across the province. We're proud to see this work come to life in print and grateful to everyone who contributed along the way.

It's exciting to look back on how far this project has come, and even more exciting to think about the conversations, learning, and reflection still to come.

06/18/2026

How should early childhood educators be compensated in Alberta?

Join us for an upcoming AECEA Connect webinar as we introduce A Revised and Updated Provincial Wage Scale for Early Childhood Educators in Alberta.

Developed with support from The Muttart Foundation and a leading child care economist, AECEA's updated draft wage scale is intended to serve as a starting point for conversations about fair and competitive compensation for early childhood educators.

During this session, we will:
• Share the revised and updated draft wage scale
• Explore the evidence and values that informed its development
• Discuss how a provincial wage scale could support recruitment, retention, and professionalism within Alberta's early learning and child care sector
• Share opportunities for educators to provide feedback and help shape future recommendations

📅 Monday, June 29, 2026
🕕 6:00 PM MDT
💻 Online via Zoom

Read the full report and register today: https://aecea.ca/aecea-connect

Registration closes June 26, 2026, at 12:00 PM MDT.

04/30/2026

04/24/2026

Today, we say thank you.

Thank you to the municipalities and organizations across Alberta who stepped forward to recognize Lights On Afterschool Alberta — through both official proclamations, recognitions, and by lighting landmarks across the province in blue and yellow.

From large cities to small communities, your support sends a clear message:
school age care matters.

We are proud to recognize:

Brooks – City Hall
Calgary – Calgary Tower & Reconciliation Bridge
Camrose – Proclamation Support
Cochrane – Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge
Edmonton – High Level Bridge
Grande Prairie – Sundial
High River – Town Hall
Lethbridge – City Hall
Medicine Hat – Saamis Tepee
Okotoks – Proclamation Support
Red Deer – Proclamation Support
Drumheller – World’s Largest Dinosaur
Rowley – Grain Elevator

Each light represents something bigger — the children, families, and communities who rely on quality care during the critical hours before and after school.

It represents the programs that show up every day — not just during the school year, but on PD days, and through spring, fall, and summer breaks — providing safe spaces, connection, and opportunities that many children would not otherwise have access to.

This year’s theme is simple, but urgent:

SPACE = ACCESS

Access to care does not happen without space.

And across Alberta, that space is becoming harder to find du to the dramatic increases in school populations.

Today is a reminder — and a call forward — that school boards, municipalities, and the Government of Alberta must work together to protect and plan for dedicated space for school age care in every community.

Because when space disappears, access disappears with it.
And finally — to the educators, leaders, and teams across this province:
Thank you.

For the care you provide.
For the relationships you build.
For the impact you make every single day.

We hope today shows you something important:

You are seen.
You are valued.
And you are celebrated.

HAPPY LIGHTS ON AFTERSCHOOL ALBERTA!

For more info visit Lights On After School Alberta - SACDA - The School Age Care Directors Association of Alberta https://share.google/Z787ll0Oj83H5EC6M

04/05/2026

(LOAS) is right around the corner! Join the largest nationwide celebration for afterschool & summer learning programs on April 21-24, 2026!

We're just about two weeks away from the largest celebration of afterschool. Help us put the with a showcase that celebrates your program: www.afterschoolalliance.org

Local municipalities in Alberta will be celebrating! Here's where...
Brooks – City Hall: Lights on April 24
Calgary – Calgary Tower, Reconciliation Bridge: Lights on April 24 & Proclamation Support
Camrose – Proclamation Support
Cochrane – Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge
Edmonton – High-Level Bridge: Lights on April 24
Grand Prairie – Sundial: Lights on April 24
High River – Town Hall: Lights on April 24 & Proclamation Support
Lethbridge – City Hall: Lights on April 24
Medicine Hat – Saamis Tepee: Lights on April 24
Okotoks – Proclamation Support
Red Deer – Proclamation Support

Every year, LOAS challenges friends of afterschool across the country to take a photo of themselves posing in the shape of our Lights On Afterschool logo and posting it on social media with the hashtags and . Then, participants challenge their followers to do the same!

We're ready to show the world how for our kids! Join the celebration of an unforgettable by planning your participation today!

03/16/2026

We’ve heard from many of you over the past few days.

Program leaders, educators, and organizations across Alberta have been reaching out, asking questions, sharing concerns, and trying to understand what the recent Professional Development funding changes mean for their teams.

We want you to know — we hear you.

At SACDA, our role is to both support the sector and continue advocating for the conditions our educators and programs need to thrive. That includes a workforce that is not only well-educated, but also well-supported.

We will continue to stand alongside you while working collaboratively with government and partners across the province.

Please take a moment to read our statement below.

03/16/2026

You asked… so we’re sharing! 🎶

A lot of people asked about the music playlists from the conference — so we’ve made them available for you. From the morning vibes to the lunch break energy and the closing songs, you can now save them and keep the IGNITE energy going.

Brandie wants to thank all the playlist fans — it actually takes a bit of effort to curate music that a whole conference room might enjoy, so we’re glad so many of you loved it!

👉 Swipe to scan the Spotify codes and add the playlists to your library
or...
🔗 Grab them through the link in our Linktree in bio

Enjoy the tunes and relive the IGNITE vibes anytime. 🔥
https://tr.ee/_OZLUd9RDJ

03/16/2026

What a day this past Saturday was! 🔥

The 2026 IGNITE! School Age Care Conference was everything we hoped it would be — full of energy, connection, learning, and a whole lot of passion for the work we do with children and families. This highlight reel captures just a small piece of what it felt like to be in that room together.

A huge thank you to our sponsors who help make this conference possible every year. We are especially grateful to our Platinum Sponsors: Leduc Chrysler Jeep, Quality Classrooms, and Wintergreen Learning Materials — for your incredible support of professional learning in school age care.

We were honoured to learn from such thoughtful and inspiring speakers. A special thank you to our keynote presenters Hannah Beach and Robert Manolson of Powerful Play Experiences, along with the many other presenters who shared their time, knowledge, and passion with our community.

Behind the scenes, this event is truly a team effort. SACDA makes it all come to life while simultaneously working full-time jobs in the sector! It couldn't happen without the dedicated SACDA board: Brandie Odenbach-Baert, Cody Topp, Irene Wood, Jacqueline Ross de Greeve, Jane Winter, Jessica Chiu, Maureen Topp, and Staci Wilson.

And to our amazing conference planning committee volunteers — Danielle Sos, Jennifer Bulmer, Jennifer Sissons, Katelyn Law, Kelly Krebs, and Megan Winter — thank you for bringing so many ideas, details, and hours of work together to help make this event what it is while also working. You worked so hard to help pull it all together.

We also had incredible volunteers at the conference itself, helping everything run smoothly throughout the day. Events like this truly happen because people care enough to show up and contribute their time and energy. Thank you!

Most of all, thank you to everyone who attended. The conversations, the curiosity, the willingness to learn and grow together — that’s what makes IGNITE special.

We have big dreams for what’s ahead, and we’re excited to keep building on this momentum. Keep supporting the work of the sector, and share SACDA with those around you so we can continue to grow and make an impact in OSC!

✨ Stay tuned… and we’ll see you all next year in Calgary, AB!