Families at Elm Drive YMCA Child Care are now paying no more than $200 a month per child as part of the Province’s universal child care prototype project.

“The communities where these prototype sites are located cover the full range of diversity in B.C.,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “They are located in Indigenous communities, many provide for children with complex care needs as well as communities struggling with issues of poverty. Seeing the results of this type of comprehensive care at this cost will deliver important insights for child care going forward.”

Elm Drive YMCA Child Care is one of more than 50 sites chosen to offer quality, low-cost child care to B.C. parents. The centre serves a large percentage of vulnerable families and is located in a neighbourhood where many families face issues of poverty, food security and the many challenges those issues present. The centre also offers services and supports to new immigrant and refugee families.

Programming is designed to be inclusive and accessible to all children and the staff is given many training opportunities, including internal training conferences and workshops throughout the year.

“This project is a first step toward our long-term vision of universal child care in B.C.,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. “We’re committed to making life more affordable for B.C. families, and the information we gather from these quality low-cost spaces will inform the future direction of our Childcare BC plan.” 

The Childcare BC Universal Prototype Sites will model what high-quality, affordable, universal child care may look like for B.C. families. Funding will allow Elm Drive YMCA Child Care to offer 37 licensed child care spaces to parents in Chilliwack. In all, parents of approximately 2,500 children throughout B.C. will benefit from the prototype project.

This project is funded through a $60-million investment as part of the Early Learning and Child Care agreement with the Government of Canada. It complements the Province’s $1-billion three-year investment through Childcare BC to move toward its long-term vision of affordable, accessible and quality child care for any family that needs it.

Parents who are not accessing these low-cost spaces may still be eligible for support through the Affordable Child Care Benefit, which provides up to $1,250 per child a month for families with an annual income of $111,000 or less. Families using licensed child care may also see savings through the Child Care Fee Reduction, which has so far helped to reduce the cost of almost 52,000 child care spaces around the province.

Learn More:

For more about Childcare BC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare

For more information about universal child care prototype sites, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/prototypesites

To learn more about the Affordable Child Care Benefit, and to apply, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/affordablechildcarebenefit

For more information about the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and approved providers, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/optin