Vancouver/CMEDIA: A legislation reportedly has been introduced by the Province of British Columbia (B.C) to enable school districts in the province to support families with more child care on school grounds.
This announcement follows the provincial announcement on Aug. 28, 2025, about the opening of 640 new child care spaces on school grounds.
“As a parent, I know that finding safe, convenient and affordable child care is a top priority for young families, but it’s not always easy…This legislation is the first step on the path to getting more child care on school grounds all across our province. Using our existing infrastructure and partnering with school districts is a smart, sustainable solution that puts existing resources to their best use for families,” said Premier David Eby.
Bill 19, the school amendment act tabled by the government on Tue, Oct. 7, 2025, if passed will enable school districts to provide child care to children of all ages, including infants and toddlers.
Also allowing districts to provide care during non-school days, such as professional development days, and winter, spring and summer breaks to improve the ability of school districts to support sustainable child care programs or expansions by ensuring districts can recover reasonable costs, similar to how non-for-profit centres can operate.
School districts will work with local communities and First Nations to inform expansion planning and how best to meet community needs.
“Our successful child care on school grounds pilots in places like Okanagan-Similkameen have shown us what’s possible when we work in partnership with local districts…Not only will these changes make way for more access to high-quality care before and after school, younger kids will also get a chance to familiarize themselves with spaces and faces at school, setting them up for success for their future K-12 journey, ” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care.
The B.C. government, since 2018 has undertaken plans to build more child care spaces and provide significant savings for families.
Having helped fund more than 41,500 new licensed child care spaces in B.C.ChildCareBC’s space-creation programs with 26,200 of these open and providing care for families, saving families throughout B.C. an average of $6,700 per year on child care fees at more than 156,000 spaces.
School districts have been strong partners in creating these new spaces, with more than 14,700 new spaces on school grounds and more than 7,600 of those spaces open across 43 school districts.
“Empowering school districts to support child care throughout B.C. is a fantastic way to expand access to care, while using spaces effectively,” said Rohini Arora, parliamentary secretary for child care. “These proposed changes will make a real difference in the future of our communities – one where families can really see themselves thriving with child care stability and continuity for years to come.”
This legislation will allow school districts, subjects to the passing of the Bill, to add child care spaces on school grounds and opt into the Province’s Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative program, which reduces the cost of child care for families by as much as $900 per child per month. Since 2018, ChildCareBC has kept more than $3 billion in the pockets of working B.C. families.
The Affordable Child Care Benefit is also available to reduce parents’ fees further and, in some cases, can eliminate fees altogether for the families that need it most.
Expanding access to school-age care in B.C. could create more job openings for those looking to join the workforce, as well as providing current employees with new opportunities in this field.
Continuing to work closely with school districts, as part of government’s continued work to building a universally accessible child care system in the province, local governments and community partners, the Province will also identify opportunities and create new sustainable spaces that meet the needs of families in every corner of B.C.
