Preschool vs Junior Kindergarten vs Daycare in Regina SK — Age 3-5 Options Explained

When your child turns 3 or 4 in Regina SK, you face a confusing array of program terms: preschool, Junior Kindergarten, daycare, nursery school, pre-K, early learning. What’s the difference? Which is right for your family? At Daisy Days Daycare in Regina SK, we help families make sense of the options. Call 306-807-3233.

Licensed CWELCC Daycare — What Daisy Days Offers for Ages 3-5

At Daisy Days Daycare, our preschool room serves children aged 3-5 in a full-day licensed CWELCC program at approximately $10/day. This is NOT a short-session nursery program — it’s full licensed childcare (7:00 AM to 6:00 PM) with a school-readiness curriculum that prepares children thoroughly for Kindergarten. Preschool program →

Definitions — Setting the Terms Straight

• Daycare / Licensed Childcare: Full-day (7AM-6PM) supervised care by ECE-certified educators. CWELCC-eligible. Regulated by Ministry of Education.
• Preschool / Nursery School: Typically 2.5-3 hour sessions, 3-5 days/week. NOT CWELCC-eligible (not full-day childcare). Focused on early social/learning experiences.
• Junior Kindergarten (JK): Saskatchewan public schools do NOT offer Junior Kindergarten as a formal program. Saskatchewan Kindergarten starts at age 5 in the September after a child’s 5th birthday. There is no publicly funded JK in Saskatchewan unlike Ontario.
• Pre-K: Sometimes used to describe school-based programs for 4-year-olds. Saskatchewan has limited Pre-K programming through school divisions (primarily for children with additional support needs). Not universally available.

The CWELCC Advantage for Ages 3-5

For working families in Regina SK, full-day licensed CWELCC daycare at ~$10/day is vastly more practical than a 2.5-hour preschool program that requires pickup at 11:30 AM. CWELCC’s ~$10/day rate applies to full-day licensed programs — not to half-day preschools or nursery schools.

When Does Saskatchewan Kindergarten Start?

Saskatchewan public school Kindergarten: the September AFTER a child turns 5. Children born January-December 2021 start Kindergarten in September 2026. Children born January-December 2022 start September 2027. Daisy Days Daycare’s preschool room serves children until they start Kindergarten, then transitions them to BASC for before-and-after-school care.

Enroll at Daisy Days Daycare — Licensed CWELCC Daycare Regina SK
📞 Call 306-807-3233 | Contact Us →
2007 Potts Crescent East | Regina, SK S4V 2E5 | CWELCC $10/Day | Licensed Since 2010