Hundreds more families in B.C. benefit from $10-a-day child care
Burnaby:
Raj Chouhan, MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds –
“Burnaby is a diverse community and each family has unique needs. By investing in child care, we’re ensuring that families will be supported no matter what comes their way.”
Anne Kang, MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake –
“I’m pleased with the work our government is doing to put people first. Under the previous government, child care went underfunded with families having to choose between quality care and making ends meet. Prioritizing families and investments will make a real difference in their lives.”
Janet Routledge, MLA for Burnaby North –
“As communities across the province continue to grow, we are continuing our record child care investments. Burnaby is a welcoming place for families, and our government is committed to supporting them so that they can thrive.”
Rachel Day, executive director, SFU Child Care Society –
“We are very encouraged to receive the funding from the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program for our families at SFU Childcare Society. With 323 spaces on our current site at the SFU Burnaby campus and 103 spaces opening in our new facility on Sapperton Avenue, Burnaby, on Nov. 1, this means over 250 families in our communities will benefit greatly from this child care fee reduction. SFU Childcare Society is committed to delivering the high-quality, dependable child care that all our families very much rely on. We are thankful that this funding will continue to support our important society values and that we can maintain our well-resourced and inclusive environment, not only for the children in our care, but for our very much valued educators and staff.”
Central Vancouver Island:
Doug Routley, MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan –
“Adding more affordable child care spaces and making sure they are accessible in our community will help families as they face a higher cost of living. I look forward to seeing the positive impact these new spaces have for children and families in Nanaimo and across B.C., and thank the child care providers who are our key partners in this work.”
Karen Love, executive director, BGC, Central Vancouver Island –
“Knowing that we can continue to offer the same high-quality and essential child care services to our parents for $10 a day means that it is now more affordable and accessible. This is vital to ensure we develop the adults of the future and work towards no more barriers.”
Parent of one child attending BGC Central Vancouver Island Ladysmith Child and Family Centre –
“We are newer parents and the $10-a-day day care is hugely helpful for increasing our family’s financial security and for giving us some breathing room in an uncertain economy. The $10 a Day ChildcareBC plan is a wise and impactful investment in working families. We wish to express our sincere gratitude to all who worked to make it a reality.”
Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam:
Fin Donnelly, MLA for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain –
“I’m pleased our government is prioritizing families by creating new $10-a-day child care spaces in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain. Affordable child care is more important than ever with inflation making life more expensive for everyone.”
Mike Farnworth, MLA for Port Coquitlam –
“The cost of child care can be a barrier for parents who are pursuing education or career goals. By lowering child care fees, we’re saving parents hundreds of dollars each month and ensuring they can support their families.”
Danielle Fakim, director, Les P’tits Lutins –
“As a not-for-profit child care centre, our focus has always been to offer quality child care services to our francophone families at reasonable rates. When the opportunity arose to apply for the government implemented $10-a-day program, we knew that this would greatly support our existing families as well as the many others on our waiting list. We are pleased to have been accepted into the program and look forward to continuing to offer educational child care services to our growing francophone community at significantly reduced monthly fees. This is a great initiative for B.C. families.”
Marie-Chantale Bédard, parent of one child attending Les P’tits Lutins –
“Having access to this program will make a major impact for our family. It will allow us to adjust somewhat to the increasing cost of living in B.C., save additional funds for our child’s post-secondary education and, most importantly, spend more quality time as a family – which we all know has no price. We are beyond grateful for the $10-a-day program and look forward to the financial peace of mind this will bring our family and to all of our day care families.”
Kelowna:
Kirstie Blanleil, director of operations, BGC Okanagan –
“Quality child care is a necessity for families. Ten-dollar-a-day child care spaces will help ease financial burdens that families are experiencing.”
Parent of two children attending BGC Okanagan –
“Receiving the email with the news that our day care was selected for the $10-a-day initiative was like winning the lottery. We are two working parents who both work in the public sector and inflation has impacted us greatly. This relief allows us to breathe a little.”
Richmond:
Kelly Greene, MLA for Richmond-Steveston –
“For too long, families have had to make sacrifices in order to ensure their children have adequate care. By making child care more accessible and affordable, more parents will be able to pursue their education and their careers, knowing their child is thriving.”
Alana Robson, president, Little Wings board of directors –
“Little Wings Daycare is a small, non-profit centre, with a close-knit community and many dedicated parent volunteers. We are so very excited to be joining the $10-a-day child care program and continuing to provide quality care, now with better affordability for our families.”
Beth Williams, parent of two children attending Little Wings Daycare –
“Families need child care for a multitude of reasons – it’s good for children, parents and the economy. As a parent of two, both of whom have benefited from the high quality of care and enrichment at Little Wings, this kind of governmental investment in reducing barriers to access for families who need or choose child care is the right step to be taking. It’s an investment in our future and I am thrilled that this valuable industry and talented educators who enable it are being supported in this way. Our centre has been crucial in the health and happiness of my family and it’s exciting to move forward in making that even more accessible.”
Surrey:
Jinny Sims, MLA for Surrey-Panorama –
“Accessible child care is an essential resource for people in a growing city such as Surrey. The previous government treated child care as a luxury for far too long, and our government is supporting families by continuing to create new spaces in our communities.”
Nancy Garner, director, Young Climbers Childcare Centre –
“Young Climbers is excited to partner with the government to offer $10-a-day child care. By doing this, we want our families and community to know how much we value, love, support, encourage and care for them. The $10 a Day ChildcareBC program will have a positive financial impact, making affordable child care a reality. Families will pay no more than $200 a month, per child, for full-time enrolment regardless of the care type. This is great news!”
Mathew, parent of three children attending Young Climbers Childcare Centre –
“Young climbers Childcare Centre is where my three boys go for day care. We were the first family to hear this great news! This is a wonderful program and will allow our family to have the extra money to put away for rainy days and have more family fun together, as my wife and I were paying more in child care than some of my family members paid in mortgages.”
Vancouver and Vancouver Coastal Region:
Bowinn Ma, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale –
“Child care can be one of the biggest bills a family faces each month. Affordable child care can change the lives of a family, and I’m thrilled to know that these new $10-a-day spaces will make a big difference for families on the North Shore.”
George Heyman, MLA for Vancouver-Fairview –
“We know people are struggling to make ends meet with the rising cost of living, and the cost of child care can place huge added pressure on families. The previous government chose to ignore the realities that working families face every day, but with our government’s universal child care plan we are making a meaningful difference for people in my community and across the province.”
West Vancouver Child Development Centre board of directors –
“The extension of the $10-a-day program to our centre is a life-changing difference for our families. It signals a commitment to maintaining healthy communities for working families and comes at a critical time when rising inflation and the high costs of living in the Lower Mainland is pushing many families out of the region, and/or out of the workforce. We know it will go a long way in improving the lives of our families and our community.”
Rebecca R., parent of one child attending West Vancouver Child Development Centre –
“My husband and I both work full time and have had one or both of our children in full-time day care for the past seven years. The announcement of the $10-a-day program coming to our day care will enable us to put savings towards our children’s future, where we might not otherwise have been able to do in this challenging economic environment.”
Williams Lake:
Linda Bond, administrator, Williams Lake and District Group Daycare –
“I’m absolutely thrilled to have our centre become a $10-a-day centre. I’ve been in child care for 35 years, since before $10-a-day was even an idea that at first seemed impossible, so to be in this situation now is quite surreal. It’s been so amazing letting our families know about being chosen for this program – they’ve almost universally gone from confusion, to disbelief, to relief and finally to excited planning! This will alleviate so much stress for many of our families and allow them to provide so many more opportunities for their children now, as well as in the future.”
Danelle Fuller, parent of two children attending Williams Lake and District Group Daycare –
“Ten-dollar-a-day child care is going to be life changing for our family and decrease our financial stress significantly. My husband has returned to college to further his education and the reduced child care cost will help alleviate the financial burden of being a single-income household while he completes his degree. We are also excited to be able to use some of the money we will save on child care costs to contribute to our children’s post-secondary education funds and extracurricular activities.”