MORE families in B.C. will save thousands of dollars per year as more than 1,370 more child care spaces convert to the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program, the Province announced on Tuesday.
This is in addition to thousands of other families who are benefiting from existing $10-a-day spaces or paying $10 a day or less for child care through fee reductions.
“We doubled the number of $10-a-day spaces earlier this year and will be nearly doubling yet again by the end of 2022, with 1,373 spaces added this month alone,” said Katrina Chen, B.C.’s Minister of State for Child Care. “Affordable child care can be life changing, and we’re one step closer to making that a reality for all families in B.C.”
Spaces in the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program reduce the average cost of child care from $1,000 a month at participating facilities (for full-time, centre-based infant care) to $200 a month, saving families approximately $800 a month per child on average.
“Our governments are making affordable, high-quality, flexible and inclusive child care a reality,” said Karina Gould, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “Through our transformative investments, we remain focused on making life more affordable for families and giving every child the best possible start in life.”
More $10-a-day spaces will be created over the next few months. By the end of the year, the program will expand the number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces available for families in B.C. from 6,500 in April to approximately 12,500.
The $10-a-day program expansion represents further progress in partnership with the federal government under the Canada-B.C. Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. To support the goal of ensuring access to high-quality, affordable and inclusive early learning and child care, the Government of Canada is contributing $3.2 billion for child care in B.C. over five years.
The newly approved $10-a-day spaces are being offered at 18 child care centres throughout B.C., bringing the total number of $10 a Day spaces in B.C. to nearly 8,200.
In addition to these spaces, the Province, with federal funding support, is helping approximately 69,000 families with the cost of child care at centres that are not part of the $10-a-day program through child care fee reductions of up to $550 more per month, per child. These savings, which kick in December 1, are in addition to the $350 per month, per child that families have been saving through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative since 2018.
Since 2018, the Province has invested $2.7 billion in the 10-year ChildCareBC plan.
Quick Facts:
* All types of licensed child care providers offering services to children five and younger were eligible to apply for the $10-a-day program, including non-profit, private, publicly run and Indigenous-led providers.
* Additional consideration is given to providers in communities that do not currently have a $10-a-day site and is based on population density.
* The cutoff date for $10-a-day program applications was August 18, 2022, and more applications will be reviewed until the target is met.
* Families making as much as $111,000 may be eligible to receive additional child care support through the Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB), with those making less than $45,000 receiving the maximum ACCB funding amount and paying nothing for child care.
* An average of 30,500 children received support through the Province’s Affordable Child Care Benefit each month in 2021-22.
Learn More:
For information about existing $10 a Day ChildCareBC sites and spaces, criteria, guidelines and priority areas under this intake, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/
For information about ChildCareBC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare
THE 15 child care providers providing new $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces.
Burnaby:
SFU Childcare Society
SFU Childcare Society; 426 spaces (120 infant-toddler, 175 2.5 years to kindergarten, 131 school age), non-profit
Coquitlam:
Shining Star Daycare Society
Shining Star Daycare; 170 spaces (24 infant-toddler, 59 2.5 years to kindergarten, 67 school age, 20 preschool), non-profit
Kelowna:
BGC Okanagan
* BGCO Cameron Park Early Learning Centre; 28 spaces (12 infant-toddler, 16 2.5 years to kindergarten), non-profit
* BGCO Martin Avenue Community Centre; 64 spaces (16 2.5 years to kindergarten, 48 school age), non-profit
YMCA of Southern Interior BC
Dilworth Mountain YMCA Child Care; 79 spaces (12 infant-toddler, 23 2.5 years to kindergarten, 24 school age, 20 preschool), non-profit
Ladysmith:
BGC Central Vancouver Island (BGCCVI)
BGCCVI Ladysmith Child and Family Centre; 82 spaces (12 infant-toddler, 20 2.5 years to kindergarten, 50 school age), non-profit
Langley:
Sonshine Street Preschool
Sonshine Street Preschool and Child Care Centre; 50 spaces (12 infant-toddler, 18 2.5 years to kindergarten, 20 preschool), non-profit
Nanaimo:
BGC Central Vancouver Island
* BGCCVI Chase River Club; 73 spaces (16 2.5 years to kindergarten, 41 school age, 16 preschool), non-profit
* BGCCVI Fifth Street Daycare; 16 spaces (2.5 years to kindergarten), non-profit
North Vancouver:
Sutherland Early Learning Childcare Centre
Sutherland Early Learning Childcare Centre; 22 spaces (infant-toddler), non-profit
Port Coquitlam:
La Société Francophone Les P’tits Lutins
Les P’tits Lutins; 64 spaces (22 infant-toddler, 42 2.5 years to kindergarten), non-profit
Richmond:
Little Friends Preschool Society
Little Friends Childcare Centre; 40 spaces (2.5 years to kindergarten), non-profit
Little Wings Daycare Centre Society
Little Wings Daycare; 49 spaces (24 infant-toddler, 25 2.5 years to kindergarten), non-profit
Surrey:
Newton Fellowship Church
Young Climbers Childcare; 108 spaces (eight infant-toddler, 20 2.5 years to kindergarten, 24 school age, 56 preschool), non-profit
Vancouver:
Montessori Daycare Society
Montessori Daycare Society; 37 spaces (12 infant-toddler, 25 2.5 years to kindergarten), non-profit
West Vancouver:
West Vancouver Child Development Centre
West Vancouver Child Development Centre; 33 spaces (eight infant-toddler, 25 2.5 years to kindergarten), non-profit
Williams Lake:
Williams Lake and District Daycare Society
Williams Lake and District Daycare; 32 spaces (16 infant-toddler, 16 2.5 years to kindergarten), non-profit
