Thousands of families are seeing dramatic savings on the cost of child care with 84 more $10 a Day ChildCareBC sites available throughout the province.

“We believe child care should be a core service that families can count on when they need it, at a price they can afford,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “We’ve heard from families that receiving $10 a Day child care is life changing. That’s why, as part of our ChildCareBC plan, we’ve committed to making low-cost child care a reality for families.”

Under Budget 2021, the Province committed to expanding the number of $10 a Day spaces in B.C. by converting 3,750 licensed child care spaces into low-cost spaces for families. The B.C. government has now surpassed this goal by creating 4,015 $10 a Day spaces for families in communities throughout B.C.

One of the $10 a Day ChildCareBC providers is Dorothy Lam Children’s Centre in Vancouver. The centre is now providing $10 a Day child care for as many as 142 families at a maximum of $200 a month per child.

“This was fantastic news to share. I’m so pleased for families and especially for mothers who now have more choice and flexibility to continue with their careers,” said Bernice Scholten, CEO, Vancouver Society of Children’s Centres, which includes Dorothy Lam Children’s Centre. “I see these reduced child care fees as the start of significant change for the child care sector overall, bringing all families one step closer to quality, affordable and accessible child care.”

Leah Zielinski, a parent receiving $10 a Day child care, said: "We went out for a celebratory dinner after learning we would be receiving $10 a Day child care at Dorothy Lam. It is a huge win for my family. We are now paying $200 a month for full-time child care for my four-year-old daughter instead of $1,200 a month. This is such a relief for so many families, especially after a few years of the pandemic, and it's an even bigger deal for families who have more than one child in in full-time child care."

This expansion more than doubles the number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces available for families, from 2,500 when the program began in 2018 to more than 6,500 spaces. By partnering with the Government of Canada through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces will nearly double again to 12,500 by December 2022.

In addition to the $10 a Day sites, tens of thousands of parents are saving as much as $1,600 a month per child, through other child care investments such as the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and the Affordable Child Care Benefit. In partnership with the federal government, the average rate of child care will be reduced by 50% from 2019 levels for children five and younger by the end of this year.

Quick Facts:

• Government has finalized agreements with 84 child care providers from the fall 2021 application intake to become a $10 a Day site.
• Since 2018, the Province has converted more than 130 $10 a Day ChildCareBC sites throughout B.C., offering more than 6,500 spaces.
• Since 2018, the Province has invested $2.7 billion in ChildCareBC to provide affordable, quality and inclusive child care throughout B.C., including nearly $900 million in direct savings to parents.
• In 2021-22, fee reductions have been approved for more than 68,800 child care spaces at more than 3,600 child care facilities in B.C. through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative.
• More than 30,000 child care spaces receive support through the Affordable Child Care Benefit every month. Parents making less than $45,000 can receive 100% funding and those making as much as $111,000 can receive partial funding.

Learn More:

For more information on the $10 a Day ChildCareBC sites and spaces, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare10aDaysites

For more information on ChildCareBC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare

For details on expanded $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces throughout B.C.: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BG_ECC_10_a_day_sites.pdf

A backgrounder follows.