More options for before- and after-school care are on the way for parents with the introduction of new legislation that will make it easier for boards of education to deliver licensed child care for students.

“Having child care on school grounds is a win for everyone – children remain in familiar surroundings throughout their day, parents save time and money, and it keeps costs down by using facilities already enriched for learning and play,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “Our government is committed to accelerating affordable, quality licensed child care spaces so families no longer have to face long wait-lists to access services that are often far from home and almost as expensive as their monthly rent.”

This legislation puts into the School Act – for the first time – recognition that school boards can directly operate before and after school care. Currently, if boards want to offer child care they must offer it through a separate, licensed provider. Boards will be required to have a child care policy in place that addresses reconciliation and inclusive education commitments, while prioritizing available space on their properties not being used for K-12 students.  

To ensure families continue to have services they can count on, the legislation will allow a minister’s order to protect any spaces funded specifically for child care on school property.

“I’ve heard from too many parents and experienced first-hand as a family with a school-age child, that the lack of affordable before- and after-school care in our province has meant that they cannot return to work, even after their kids start kindergarten,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “Studies show having child care at schools ensures smoother transitions for children and better educational outcomes, and it also helps parents with a single drop off and pick-up location.” 

These improvements build on work underway that will make it easier for school boards to work with licensed child care providers, share professional development and create inclusive, welcoming spaces for children to learn.

“Almost every parent has experienced the challenge of finding good quality before and after school care for their child,” said Stephanie Higginson, president, BC School Trustees Association. “This amendment to the School Act enables boards of education to offer that care directly, creating a natural alignment with the educational programming already offered during the school day. We applaud the government for taking this important step in ensuring more child care options for school-age children.”

Families throughout B.C. have benefited from the fastest creation of child care spaces in the province’s history, with more than 10,400 being funded in 15 months. Since launching in February 2018, the Childcare BC plan has also helped parents save more than $320 million through the Affordable Child Care Benefit and Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative. Through these initiatives, nearly 29,000 families have received child care for no more than $10 a day, since September 2018.

When a board of education wants to operate its own child care, it is eligible for operating and capital grants from the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Boards can use this funding to create non-profit child care programs based on the unique needs of their communities, with priority for culturally-relevant services for Indigenous families and support for students with special needs.  

As part of the move towards making child care more accessible for families, personal education numbers (PENs) will also be expanded so children can be assigned a number before they formally start school – which is typically when they begin kindergarten at age 5. This change will reduce the paperwork that parents face and help provide seamless services from child care and early learning, to K-12 and post-secondary education throughout B.C.

To ensure children have access to high-quality learning opportunities and smooth transitions throughout their entire educational journey, the Ministry of Education also updated its Early Learning Framework in November 2019 after consulting with over 600 early child care and education stakeholders. The revised framework focuses – for the first time ­ on reconciliation and inclusive education, while expanding its scope to include infancy to eight years of age (formerly birth to five years of age).

“Before- and after-school care should be seen as part of a child's comprehensive educational experience, and this change supports child care providers in that aspect of their work,” said Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley. “When we begin to tap into the full potential of B.C.'s underutilized educational infrastructure, our schools will be transformed into centres with the remarkable ability to transform not just our youth but entire communities.”

Investing in child care and early childhood education is a shared priority between government and the BC Green Party caucus and is part of the Confidence and Supply Agreement.

Quotes:

Andrea Sinclair, president, BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) —

“Parents are pleased that the government will now allow licensed child care to be operated by school boards. More than at any other time, parents are in need of strong before- and after-school, pre-school and daycare programs. These legislative changes will provide school communities the ability to work together to create better local child care solutions. BCCPAC believes the extension of the personal education number into early child care programs will help the transition of all students, but especially those with unique learning needs.”

Paul Faoro, president, CUPE BC —

“In addition to our long-time support for a quality, affordable public child care system in B.C., CUPE BC has long advocated that public schools are a natural home for child care spaces. It’s great to work with a government that sees the enormous potential here, all over the province.”

Sharon Gregson, provincial spokesperson, Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC —

“We welcome this move to ensure school boards can run their own quality school-age child care programs. Schools are public assets and it makes sense they include before- and after-school care. This move aligns with the popular $10-a-day child care plan and it’s a significant step towards meeting the urgent need for affordable, high-quality child care in communities throughout B.C.”  

Quick Facts:

• The Education Statutes Amendment Act, 2020, will also include amendments to improve how public K-12 education is delivered and funded in B.C.
• Since 2017, the Province has approved over 2,600 new child care spaces on school grounds.
• As part of funding for new, replacement or upgraded schools, the Ministry of Education also provides extra dollars for school districts to create neighbourhood learning centres, with child care as a top priority. 
• The Province has also made investments to improve supports to B.C.’s early care and learning professionals, investing more than $19 million to provide over 11,500 early childhood educators with a $1-per-hour wage enhancement. Another $1-per-hour lift is to come in April 2020.
• To help with recruitment and retention, the B.C. government has also created 600 new early childhood education seats at post-secondary institutions, with 4,500 post-secondary students benefiting from bursaries to pursue a career as a child care professional.
• Funding for child care spaces and services, including before- and after-school care for school-age children, is separate from funding for K-12 education.  

Learn More:

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

To learn more about the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund and to apply, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/newspacesfund

To find child care in a community, view the online child care map: https://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/ccf/

Child care factsheet: https://news.gov.bc.ca/18430