British Columbia municipalities and regional districts can now access nearly $17 million in funding to plan and build licensed child care spaces that will best meet the needs of local families.

With the launch of its new Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB), the provincial government is making child care more affordable for 80,000 B.C. families.

Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development, and Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care, have issued the following joint statement to celebrate reaching a milestone under the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative:

The federal government is committed to working in partnership with First Nations and all levels of government to support the health and well-being of First Nation children and families.

Thousands of families struggling with the shortage of quality child care will benefit from the 22,000 new licensed spaces coming over the next three years.

Families searching for quality, licensed child care in their communities will have hundreds more options through a new grant program.