Child support payments will no longer impact eligibility for parents already receiving or applying for child care subsidies, starting April 1, 2016, putting money back in the pockets of the families that need it most.

These changes will have an immediate impact for approximately 900 existing families, either by making them newly eligible to receive subsidies, or by increasing the amount of subsidy they receive.

The monthly subsidy is intended to support low-income families with the costs of child care.  The amount families receive depends on the family’s income and size, the ages of the children and the type of child care provided. The maximum rate a family can receive per child is $750 per month.

Families are also no longer required to re-apply for their monthly subsidy each year and the child care subsidy application form has been streamlined to make it easier for new applicants to apply for and receive subsidies.

Government invests up to $119.9 million annually on the Child Care Subsidy program, which supports nearly 20,000 children and their families each month throughout British Columbia. The changes to the Child Care Subsidy program are part of the province’s overall commitment to make it easier for British Columbians to access services and supports.

To learn more about the Child Care Subsidy Program or to see if you may be eligible for an increase in your subsidy allowance, please visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare

Quotes:

Stephanie Cadieux, Minister of Children and Family Development –

“Parents who receive child support payments shouldn’t be penalized when applying for additional supports. These changes fix what we have heard from parents needed to be fixed and makes sure that the Child Care Subsidy program is working for the families who need it most.”

Lina Yuan, parent –

“I used to receive around $200 per month and now I receive more than twice that!  I am a single mom, working full time, so paying for anything extra is hard. This additional money will make a big difference for me and will help me get my child involved in activities in our community.”

Janet Austin, CEO, YWCA Metro Vancouver –

“This change helps support parents by helping to offset the cost of child care each month. In addition to providing more peace of mind, the improvement will give parents like Lina an opportunity to provide some extras for their children – something they couldn’t necessarily do before.”

Ruth Beardsley, senior manager, Options Community Services Society –

“Options Community Services offers a range of programs to support families with young children from child care subsidy application assistance to family resource and parenting programs. Child care is an important part of life for many of the families accessing our services and we are thrilled to hear about the changes to the Child Care Subsidy program that will immediately start to benefit these families and families throughout the province.”

Wayne Robertson, chair, Provincial Child Care Council –

“It’s often tough for parents to find a balance between work and family commitments. Child care is always a huge decision for parents to make and this change will help better support parents with the costs of child care for their children. It will make a true difference.”

Quick Facts:

• As part of the B.C. Early Years Strategy, the province is committed to supporting sustainable child care in order that families can choose from a range of affordable, safe, quality child care options.
• The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) has committed $327.8 million for child care in 2016-17, a 56% increase since 2000-01.
• As part of that commitment, MCFD provides child care operating funding directly to child-care providers to help them keep costs down so less overhead is passed on to parents.
• To further help with the costs of raising a young child, government introduced the new B.C. Early Childhood Tax Benefit in April 2015. The benefit provides $146 million annually to approximately 180,000 families with children under the age of six (up to $55 a month per child).
• Through the child care major capital funding program, non-profit child-care providers can also apply for up to $500,000, while private child-care providers could apply for up to $250,000. The next intake for this program is expected later this year.
• Since November 2014, the B.C. government has invested $15.2 million to support the creation of 2,400 new licensed child care spaces. An additional 1,850 new spaces are expected by late 2017, which supports government’s commitment to create an additional 13,000 spaces by 2020. This builds on the more than 111,000 licensed child care spaces that are currently funded across the province.

Learn More:

To learn more about a range of supports and services available for low-income families, please visit: www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/supporting_affordability/index.htm

To learn more about the B.C. Early Years Strategy, please visit: www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/early_childhood/pdf/FamiliesAgenda_EarlyYearsStrategy_web.pdf