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A dozen $10-a-day child care spaces tabbed for Kimberley
The B.C. government March 28 announced 930 more child care spaces are moving into the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program in March and April, including a dozen (infant-toddler) at Summit Community Services Society’s First Steps Daycare in Kimberley.
This brings the total number of $10-a-day spaces in B.C. to more than 15,000.
These spaces will help reduce costs for families and further develop access to high-quality, affordable child care as a core service. Spaces in the program reduce the average cost of child care from $1,120 a month for full-time, centre-based care to $200 a month for the same service, saving families an average of approximately $920 a month per child, a joint Ministry of Education and Child Care and Employment and Social Development Canada media release stated.
“The families of over 15,000 children throughout B.C. have more money in their pockets as their child care bills are cut by more than $10,000 on average per child, per year,” said Mitzi Dean, B.C.’s Minister of State for Child Care. “In addition to the $10-a-day program, we have increased the fee reductions, are eliminating waitlist fees and continue to offer additional support for families who need it most, all of which are important ways we are making life more affordable.”
“Affordable, $10-a-day child care that’ll help families save thousands of dollars, help parents balance work with family and help kids get the best start to life. That’s what today’s announcement with B.C. is all about,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
With these newly converted spaces offered at 27 additional child care centres throughout the province, B.C. has more than 15,300 spaces, surpassing its goal of 15,000 spaces and on track to achieve the next goal of 20,000 spaces by spring 2026.
For this intake, government prioritized new $10 a Day ChildCareBC centres in communities that do not yet have any or have a low number compared to the region’s population density. This is helping to ensure families in more regions throughout the province are able to access the program, the media release stated.
To support the creation of more child care spaces and help more B.C. families access child care, the federal government has committed an additional $47 million over three years through the Child Care Infrastructure Fund. This new funding will support non-profit, public and/or Indigenous-led organizations to build or maintain child care facilities, particularly in under-served communities, and is in addition to the existing ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund.
ChildCareBC photo
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