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Expansion of $10 a day child care to benefit thousands more B.C. families

By Richmond Sentinel

Published 2:51 PDT, Mon June 20, 2022

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 and help make 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 today and can be submitted until noon on Aug. 18.

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.

For more information on existing $10 a Day ChildCareBC sites and spaces, criteria, guidelines and priority areas under this intake, visit: gov.bc.ca/childcare10aDaysites

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