EXCERPTS:
Applications are being accepted from child care providers to join the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program this year, which will enable them to offer low-cost child care, making life more affordable for thousands more families in B.C.
Spaces in the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program reduce the average cost of child care from $1,000 a month (for full-time, centre-based infant care) at facilities participating in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) to $200 a month, saving families an average of about $800 a month per child.
By partnering with the Government of Canada through the 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CW-ELCC), this application opening will support the expansion of $10 a day child care spaces from more than 6,500 to 12,500 by December 2022.
Applications will now be reviewed and approved on a rolling basis, based on priority criteria, allowing some sites to offer $10 a day spaces sooner than December 2022. Applications are available as of noon, June 20, 2022, and can be submitted until noon, Aug. 18, 2022.
All types of child care providers offering services to children five and younger are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to larger non-profit, publicly delivered and Indigenous-led providers in communities that do not have a $10 a day site, and based on population density, which aligns with commitments in the CW-ELCC.
This expansion of the $10 a day program is part of B.C.’s commitment in partnership with the federal government that, by the end of 2022, average child care fees for B.C. families with children five and younger will be reduced by half of what average out-of-pocket fees were for families in 2019.
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 British Columbia over five years through the CW-ELCC. This is in addition to more than $323 million provided through the 2021-2022 to 2024-2025 Canada–British Columbia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
Since 2018, the Province has invested $2.7 billion in the 10-year ChildCareBC plan to build a future where affordable, inclusive and quality child care is a core service that families can rely on.
Quick Facts:
An average of 30,500 children received support through the Province’s Affordable Child Care Benefit each month in 2021-22.
Families making less than $45,000 can receive the maximum funding amount and those making as much as $111,000 can receive partial funding.
In 2021-22, fee reductions were approved for more than 69,000 child care spaces at more than 3,600 child care facilities in B.C. through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI).
Combined, the 2022 expansion of the $10 a day program and additional fee reductions for families through CCFRI will help the Province meet its commitments under the CW-ELCC, to reduce average child care fees for children five and younger by half of the average provincial fee in 2019.
More details about the fee reductions through CCFRI will be available for child care providers and families in the coming months.