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By Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Cutting child care fees for families

Oct 5, 2022 | 10:30 AM

CHILD CARE IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST BILLS that young families face every month. But without access to child care, many parents wouldn’t be able to continue working or furthering their education.

Since 2018, we’ve been tackling this by funding thousands of new child care spaces across the province, and reducing fees for parents. We’re making progress, but we know there is always more to do.

Right now, rising global inflation is making life even more expensive, and people need a break. That’s why we’re cutting child care fees again, this time by as much as $550 more every month, per child.

Starting in December, we’re cutting child care fees for children kindergarten-age and younger who attend participating licensed child care programs. The reduction will be automatically applied on parents’ bills – there is no need to apply, and there are no income requirements.

The exact reduction will depend on the type of program and the age of the child, and ranges from $220-$550 in savings on each month’s fees, beginning Dec. 1.

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Cutting child care fees is an important step, but we know that many families are still having trouble finding care for their children. We are undertaking the fastest space creation ever by the B.C. government– and we are not slowing down. In fact, through provincial and federal support, we will see approximately 60,000 new spaces funded by 2026.

Recognizing that we also need more child care professionals to deliver more high-quality licensed care, we have expanded the number of training seats and bursaries for Early Childhood Education students and increased the wages of Early Childhood Educators by $4 per hour.

For too long, child care wasn’t treated like the necessity that it is. High fees shut many families out and lack of supply made it nearly impossible for new families to get a space. We are working hard to change this, but it will take time to reverse the years of neglect by the previous government.

The $10 a Day ChildCare BC Program is another part of the solution. These spaces cost families only $200 per month, per child, which is a savings of around $800 from the average cost. By the end of this year, there will be about 12,500 of these spaces throughout the province, and we are working to bring them to even more communities.

Our vision is a province where child care is a core service that every family can count on.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.