Screen Time & Technology Policy at Licensed Daycare in Saskatchewan | Daisy Days Regina SK

Screen time is one of the most frequently discussed topics in early childhood — and one where research, cultural norms, and parenting approaches sometimes diverge. At Daisy Days Daycare in Regina SK, our technology policy is grounded in current evidence and Canadian health guidelines. Here’s our complete approach.

Canadian Paediatric Society Screen Time Guidelines — The Framework

Canada’s national pediatric authority, the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS), provides screen time guidelines that Daisy Days Daycare uses as our framework:

• Under 18 months: No screen exposure except video calls with family members — the developing brain at this age benefits from real human interaction, not screen-mediated content
• 18 months – 2 years: High-quality educational programming only, if used at all; watch with an adult who can explain and extend the content
• 2-5 years: Maximum 1 hour per day of high-quality programming; passive entertainment value of screens far below value of physical play and real interaction
• 6+ years: Consistent limits; prioritize sleep, physical activity, face-to-face socializing

Daisy Days Daycare’s Technology Policy

At Daisy Days Daycare, our program operates primarily screen-free for the following reasons:

• Opportunity cost is too high: Every minute a young child spends in front of a screen is a minute NOT spent in the play, conversation, physical activity, and real-world exploration that builds their brain most powerfully
• Group care is the prime time for peer social learning: Screen time in a group care setting removes children from the peer interaction that is licensed daycare’s unique developmental contribution
• Hands-on is better than screen-on for early learning: Children learn and retain more from physical, three-dimensional manipulation of materials than from screen-based representations of those materials

Any technology use in Daisy Days Daycare programs is:

• Intentional and educational (e.g., a short nature video clip as part of a science investigation — not as entertainment)
• Interactive rather than passive (children respond, discuss, and investigate rather than watching quietly)
• Brief and purposeful — never filling time when other activities would serve children better
• Within CPS daily guideline limits

What This Means for Families

Children at Daisy Days Daycare spend their days in:

• Physical, sensory play (blocks, clay, sand, water, paint)
• Outdoor physical activity
• Rich educator conversation and read-alouds
• Peer social learning and dramatic play
• Creative arts, music, and movement

These experiences are developmentally richer and more appropriate for children under 6 than any screen-based alternative. This is the value proposition of quality licensed daycare: real humans, real materials, real play.

Balancing Screen Time at Home

If your child’s screen time at home exceeds CPS guidelines, this is common — and you’re in good company. Reducing screen time gradually, replacing it with physical play, outdoor time, and real conversation, and removing screens from mealtime and the hour before sleep are evidence-based first steps. Daisy Days Daycare’s screen-free day supports your family’s overall screen balance goals.

→ Children’s behaviour and digital routines
→ Outdoor learning at Daisy Days
→ Brain science and early childhood

Contact Daisy Days Daycare — screen-light, play-rich licensed childcare in south Regina SK since 2010.
306-807-3233 | info@daisydaysdaycare.com | 2007 Potts Crescent East, Regina SK S4V 2E5