Representative image of daycare centers in BC on Unsplash by CDC
Victoria (BC)/CMEDIA: The $10 a Day ChildCareBC program in February is being joined by more than 725 child care spaces, bringing the number of spaces to 12,700 and helping families across the province save thousands of dollars per year, a news release said.
More than 6,000 spaces were added through the $10 a Day ChildCareBC 2022 intake, including 728 spaces that will move to the program as of Feb. 1. The newly approved $10-a-day spaces are being offered at 12 child care centres throughout B.C.
Besides, reducing costs for families in British Columbia, these spaces further develop high-quality, affordable and accessible child care as a core service in the province.
“Affordable child care can be life changing, and with over 12,700 $10-a-day spaces throughout the province…are some of the ways we are making child care more affordable and allowing parents – especially mothers…achieve financial independence and security, which benefits families, our communities and the economy as a whole,” said Grace Lore, B.C. Minister of State for Child Care in the news release.
Progress in partnership with the federal government under the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement is being represented by the $10-a-day program expansion.
The Government of Canada is also contributing $3.2 billion for child care in B.C. through March 2026 to support the goal of ensuring access to high-quality, affordable and inclusive early learning and child care.
“YMCA BC is thrilled to enter into a $10-a-day agreement with the Province for our Fort St. James and Prince George locations…believes that supporting families builds healthy communities and we are excited to support more families in northern B.C. to thrive,” ,” said Lynette Mikalishen, director of child care services, YMCA BC – Northern BC.
Besides the addition to these spaces, the Province is helping almost 71,000 families with federal funding support with the cost of child care at centres that are not part of the $10-a-day program through child care fee reductions up to $900 per month per child. Introduced in 2018 through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, fee reduction initiatives were further enhanced on Dec. 1, 2022.
Eligibility to apply for the $10-a-day program incudes all types of licensed child care providers offering services to children five and younger with priority given to larger non-profit, publicly run and Indigenous-led providers. Additional consideration was given to providers in communities that do not have a $10-a-day site, and is based on population density.
The Province has invested $2.7 billion in the 10-year ChildCareBC plan since 2018 to build a future where affordable, inclusive and quality child care is a core service that families can rely on.
#BC; #$10adaycentres
