More parents on Vancouver Island will see dramatic savings as 13 child care sites are welcomed into the $10 a Day child care program.

At these sites, families will pay no more than $200 per month per child for full-time enrolment during regular business hours.

“These affordable $10 a Day child care spaces will make an incredible difference in the lives of families in Victoria,” said Grace Lore, MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill. “When parents in Victoria can afford child care, they can focus on pursuing career or educational opportunities and the entire community and its economy benefit.”

In 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 757 new $10 a Day spaces on Vancouver Island are part of this commitment.

“I know there couldn’t be a better time for families to hear that their child care centre is becoming a $10 a Day site,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “We’ve heard from families that having access to $10 a Day child care is life changing, and when our ChildCareBC plan is fully implemented, no family will pay more than $10 a day for licensed child care. As we work toward that goal, tens of thousands of parents are already benefiting by saving up to $1,600 a month on child care. Through Budget 2022, more savings are on the way for all types of child care.”

This expansion increases 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. By partnering with the Government of Canada through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces will more than double again to 12,500 by December 2022.

“These are unprecedented times in child care for communities in B.C.” said Natalie Robinson, executive director, Today ’N’ Tomorrow Learning Society. “We were thrilled to be able to share the news of enormous savings with our families. It felt like Santa arrived in the spring with a gift that will keep on giving for years to come. As an organization that offers spaces from birth to five years old and operates a Young Parent Program, we feel very fortunate to have been chosen because this will greatly affect many of our parents all the way up until their children attend kindergarten.”

In addition to $10 a Day child care investments, Budget 2022 builds on existing provincial funding that helps tens of thousands of families continue paying less for child care, who are saving as much as $1,600 a month per child through provincial investments such as the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and the Affordable Child Care Benefit. Already 93% of eligible licensed child care providers have enrolled in the fee-reduction initiative, saving families as much as $350 per month per child.

“Ten dollars a day care has completely helped our family in so many ways,” said Chantal, parent of a child in Today ’N’ Tomorrow – Little Friends. “The reduced fees have decreased my stress and given me some financial flexibility. For example, when my child has to stay home sick, I still need to pay child care fees. Now I have some peace of mind knowing that I can keep them home and focus on their care without worrying about how to pay child care fees for days when I’m not working.”

With new federal investments, 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:

• Since 2018, Vancouver Island has opened 21 $10 a Day ChildCareBC sites, offering a total of 1,279 spaces.
• Since 2018, the Province has invested $342 million to provide affordable, quality and inclusive child care in the Vancouver Island region, including $159 million in direct savings to parents.
• So far in 2021-22, fee reductions have been approved for more than 68,600 child care spaces at more than 3,600 child care facilities in B.C. through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative.
• An average of 29,700 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, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare10aDaysites

A backgrounder follows.