The Early Learning Centre is the second daycare facility in Kamloops to receive $10-a-day childcare (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

$10 DAYCARE

Families at Kamloops Christian School to save up to $1,400 with new $10-a-day care model

Mar 25, 2022 | 3:35 PM

KAMLOOPS — Naomi Toews says the $10-a-day childcare that kicks in April 1 at the Early Learning Centre is a game-changer. The new funding model will help save her family nearly $1,400 a month.

“Right now, it’s just over $1,700 is what it would be full-time with two kids, and that’s going to be going down to $400, so that is a massive savings for all the families,” said Toews.

Toews says the cost didn’t necessarily hold her kids back from doing activities, but the cost savings will open up more opportunities.

“It’s going to be a massive savings. If you look at any of the sports, soccer is a few hundred dollars per season. It’s going to contribute to all of that,” she said. “We can look into different dance and gymnastics. It’ll free up a lot of budget.”

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The Kamloops Christian School Early Learning Centre is the second such daycare in Kamloops to be the recipient of $10-a-day care.

The Kamloops Child Development Centre has been benefitting from the reduced costs since 2018.

“Yes, it is a game-changer,” said CEO of the Kamloops Christian School Sandro Cuzzetto. “Many [parents] have said ‘We’d love to be part of the school or we’d love to do different things, but daycare is so expensive right now,’ so for our local Kamloops community, and it’s not just the North Shore, even though this is where we’re situated. I think this really helps all of Kamloops.”

However, with only two centres in Kamloops benefitting, there seems to be a discrepancy between daycares as others wait patiently for their turn to take advantage of $10-a-day childcare.

“This is the overall problem with the childcare plan. People have been waiting six budgets now for some sort of implementation,” said Liberal finance critic Peter Milobar, also the MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson. “I feels like something out of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory where if you get the winning golden ticket, you can have accessible, affordable, quality childcare. People wanted to see this much sooner.”

Milobar says this is only happening because of federal money, not provincial money, being put into childcare. Either way, the Kamloops Christian School feels grateful to have been chosen.

“With this $10-a-day aspect and the subsidies the government gives, we definitely able to house more students in our area. I would say it’s at least half the cost of what it normally would’ve been and for some families maybe more,” said Cuzzetto.

The Early Learning Centre hopes to expand in the near future beyond its 92-student capacity. However, the one concern is staffing and the challenge of recruiting quality early learning educators.