The BC NDP announced a new childcare plan for the province in today’s budget.
In what the B.C. government called a "historic" investment in childcare, the province unveiled a three-year plan featuring $1 billion in planned spending.
A new child care benefit worth $1,250 per month, per child will start in September and apply to up to 86,000 families in the province. The existing child care subsidy only went to 26,000 families.
The province has also announced they’ll be providing up to $350 per month directly to licensed child care providers starting April 1, which is expected to reduce fees for an estimated 50,000 families per year by 2020/21.
The government is reducing child care fees, adding 22,000 new child care spaces, and creating programming to help support providers who want to become licensed.
Also starting on April 1, parents with children in licensed care will be eligible to receive between $60 and $350 per month in fee reductions.
“Parents want quality child care that is safe and gives them peace of mind while they are at work,” said Finance Minister Carole James during today’s budget speech. “For those parents lucky enough to find a spot, they struggle to afford high child care fees.”
“Businesses also feel the effects of unaffordable child care. They have told us that economic growth is being hampered. That when a parent can’t find child care, it means they lose a worker. Parents delayed from entering or returning to the work force impact our economy’s productivity.”
