The Province has introduced legislation to enable school districts in B.C. to support families with more child care on school grounds.

“As a parent, I know that finding safe, convenient and affordable child care is a top priority for young families, but it’s not always easy,” said Premier David Eby. “We are building a seamless child care system in our province that supports parents from the early years through to graduation. This legislation is the first step on the path to getting more child care on school grounds all across our province. Using our existing infrastructure and partnering with school districts is a smart, sustainable solution that puts existing resources to their best use for families.”

On Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, government tabled Bill 19, the school amendment act. If passed, this act will enable school districts to provide child care to children of all ages, including infants and toddlers. Districts also will be allowed to provide care during non-school days, such as professional development days, and winter, spring and summer breaks.

These changes could also improve the ability of school districts to support sustainable child care programs or expansions by ensuring districts can recover reasonable costs, similar to how non-for-profit centres can operate. School districts will work with local communities and First Nations to inform expansion planning and how best to meet community needs.

“Our successful child care on school grounds pilots in places like Okanagan-Similkameen have shown us what’s possible when we work in partnership with local districts,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care. “Not only will these changes make way for more access to high-quality care before and after school, younger kids will also get a chance to familiarize themselves with spaces and faces at school, setting them up for success for their future K-12 journey.”

Since 2018, government has undertaken plans to build more child care spaces and provide significant savings for families. ChildCareBC’s space-creation programs have helped fund more than 41,500 new licensed child care spaces in B.C., with 26,200 of these open and providing care for families. School districts have been strong partners in creating these new spaces, with more than 14,700 new spaces on school grounds and more than 7,600 of those spaces open across 43 school districts.

“Empowering school districts to support child care throughout B.C. is a fantastic way to expand access to care, while using spaces effectively,” said Rohini Arora, parliamentary secretary for child care. “These proposed changes will make a real difference in the future of our communities – one where families can really see themselves thriving with child care stability and continuity for years to come.”

If passed, this legislation will allow school districts to add child care spaces on school grounds and opt into the Province’s Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative program, which reduces the cost of child care for families by as much as $900 per child per month. The Affordable Child Care Benefit is also available to reduce parents’ fees further and, in some cases, can eliminate fees altogether for the families that need it most. 

Expanding access to school-age care in B.C. could create more job openings for those looking to join the workforce, as well as providing current employees with new opportunities in this field.

The Province will continue to work closely with school districts, local governments and community partners to identify opportunities and create new sustainable spaces that meet the needs of families in every corner of B.C. as part of government’s continued work to building a universally accessible child care system in the province.

Quotes:

Karen Ranalletta, president, CUPE BC – 

“We are excited for this important change, one that will expand school-based child care in communities all across British Columbia. Better enabling our public schools to deliver quality child care, and at all times of the year, responds to a critical need among parents for accessible, trusted care for their kids. CUPE is enthusiastic to work with government and school boards to realize the publicly delivered seamless before- and after-school care sparked by this legislative change.” 

Daljit Gill-Badesha, chair, Provincial Child Care Council – 

“These are important steps and reflect our shared commitment to bringing accessible, inclusive and high-quality care to more B.C. families. We’re excited to see strong community and provincial partnerships helping reach this milestone. We look forward to continued collaboration to ensure affordable child care is accessible and available into the future.”  

Naomi Bailey, chair, Nanaimo Ladysmith board of education – 

“We have a critical need for child care in our communities of Nanaimo-Ladysmith. As a school district, we have seen tremendous success in providing space for child care on our school grounds, helping meet the need for safe, affordable child care for local families. We are pleased to see barriers removed that will allow us as a school district to further support our communities with child care spaces.” 

Quick Facts:

• This announcement follows the provincial announcement on Aug. 28, 2025, about the opening of 640 new child care spaces on school grounds.
• ChildCareBC affordability programs are saving families throughout B.C. an average of $6,700 per year on child care fees at more than 156,000 spaces.
• Since 2018, ChildCareBC has kept more than $3 billion in the pockets of working B.C. families.

Learn More:

For more information about this legislation, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/legislation/

For more information about ChildCareBC, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/caring-for-young-children

More information about the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund is available online: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/newspacesfund

For information about how to connect to services and help save money, visit the B.C. Benefits Connector: https://gov.bc.ca/BCBenefitsConnector

For more information about Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care, visit: https://canada.ca/child-care