12,700 spaces at $10-a-day centres saving families thousands
More than 725 child care spaces are joining the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program in February, bringing the number of spaces to 12,700 and helping families across the province save thousands of dollars per year.
These spaces help reduce costs for families in British Columbia and further develop high-quality, affordable and accessible child care as a core service in the province.
“Affordable child care can be life changing, and with over 12,700 $10-a-day spaces throughout the province, we are lowering the cost of child care for families,” said Grace Lore, B.C. Minister of State for Child Care. “The recent child care fee reductions and the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program are some of the ways we are making child care more affordable and allowing parents – especially mothers – to pursue opportunities and achieve financial independence and security, which benefits families, our communities and the economy as a whole.”
Spaces in the $10-a-day program reduce the average cost of child care from $1,000 a month for full-time, centre-based infant care to $200 a month for the same service, saving families an average of $800 a month per child.
“Our governments are making access to affordable, high-quality, flexible and inclusive child care a reality,” said Karina Gould, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “Through our transformative investments, we remain focused on making life more affordable for families and giving every child the best possible start in life.”
The $10-a-day program expansion represents further progress in partnership with the federal government under the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. 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 B.C. through March 2026.
“With costs – such as interest rates, fuel and groceries – rising, the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program is extremely impactful on my family,” said Dawn Sissons, parent at YMCA Lac Des Bois Care and Learning Centre. “The cost of daycare for our two children was significantly more than our mortgage payment. Now, the reduction in the cost of child care for my family means that we can absorb the rising cost of living while maintaining the extracurricular activities that our children love, like dance, swimming and gymnastics.”
More than 6,000 spaces were added through the $10 a Day ChildCareBC 2022 intake, including 728 spaces that will move to the program as of Feb. 1. The newly approved $10-a-day spaces are being offered at 12 child care centres throughout B.C.
“YMCA BC is thrilled to enter into a $10-a-day agreement with the Province for our Fort St. James and Prince George locations,” said Lynette Mikalishen, director of child care services, YMCA BC – Northern BC. “Having access to quality, inclusive, accessible and now affordable child care is life changing for children and families. The YMCA believes that supporting families builds healthy communities and we are excited to support more families in northern B.C. to thrive.”
In addition to these spaces, the Province, with federal funding support, is helping almost 71,000 families with the cost of child care at centres that are not part of the $10-a-day program through child care fee reductions up to $900 per month per child. Fee reductions were introduced in 2018 through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and were further enhanced on Dec. 1, 2022.
All types of licensed child care providers offering services to children five and younger were eligible to apply for the $10-a-day program, with priority given to larger non-profit, publicly run and Indigenous-led providers. Additional consideration was given to providers in communities that do not have a $10-a-day site, and is based on population density.
Since 2018, the Province has invested $2.7 billion in the 10-year ChildCareBC plan to build a future where affordable, inclusive and quality child care is a core service that families can rely on.
Quick Facts:
- Families making less than $45,000 receive the maximum Affordable Child Care Benefit and may pay nothing for child care.
- Families making as much as $111,000 may be eligible to receive additional child care support through the Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB).
- An average of 28,400 children received support through the ACCB each month so far in 2022-23.
Learn More:
For more information about existing $10 a Day ChildCareBC centres and spaces, criteria, guidelines and priority areas under this intake, visit: http://www.gov.bc.ca/10adaychildcare
To apply for the Affordable Child Care Benefit, visit: http://www.gov.bc.ca/affordablechildcarebenefit
For more information about ChildCareBC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare
For more about the 2021-26 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement: https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories/british-columbia-canada-wide-2021.html
For more information about Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care: https://canada.ca/child-care