YOUR PERSPECTIVE: Celebrating Child Care month
May marks Child Care month in British Columbia, a time to honor and celebrate the invaluable contributions of child care providers who offer care, connection, and education to children in B.C.
It’s also a reminder that for far too long, access to affordable child care was either overlooked or deemed a luxury. That’s why over the last seven years, our government has made historic investments in child care. We are working towards a future where affordable, quality, and inclusive child care is a fundamental service that all families can rely on.
Our affordability programs have reduced average child care fees for children 12 years and under from $45 per day down to $18 per day. With global inflation driving up the cost of things like groceries and gas, those savings are crucial for families with young children.
We’ve also invested in the $10 a Day child care program, which is on track to expand to 20,000 spaces by spring of 2026. These life changing spaces are open or opening in communities across the province, and I’m so grateful that in my own community in Chilliwack we have 90 $10 a day childcare spaces helping more families.