BRITISH COLUMBIA – Applications are being accepted from child care providers to join the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program this year, which will enable them to offer low-cost child care, making life more affordable for thousands more families in BC.
Spaces in the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program reduce the average cost of child care from $1,000 a month (for full-time, centre-based infant care) at facilities participating in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) to $200 a month, saving families an average of about $800 a month per child.
By partnering with the Government of Canada through the 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CW-ELCC), this application opening will support the expansion of $10 a day child care spaces from more than 6,500 to 12,500 by December 2022.
Applications will now be reviewed and approved on a rolling basis, based on priority criteria, allowing some sites to offer $10 a day spaces sooner than December 2022. Applications are available as of noon, June 20, 2022, and can be submitted until noon, Aug. 18, 2022.
All types of child care providers offering services to children five and younger are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to larger non-profit, publicly delivered and Indigenous-led providers in communities that do not have a $10 a day site, and based on population density, which aligns with commitments in the CW-ELCC.
To support the goal of ensuring access to high-quality, affordable and inclusive early learning and child care, the Government of Canada is contributing $3.2 billion for child care in British Columbia over five years through the CW-ELCC. This is in addition to more than $323 million provided through the 2021-2022 to 2024-2025 Canada–British Columbia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
Families making less than $45,000 can receive the maximum funding amount and those making as much as $111,000 can receive partial funding.
