BC seeking feedback on plan for future child care initiatives

A public survey was launched this week by the BC Government to get public feedback on the future of child care in the province. 

The Province is seeking to hear directly from parents, educators and operators on what initiatives for child care are most important to the people they will impact. 

Since ChildCareBC launched in 2018, the priority has been to create more spaces for children, while requiring lower fees from families in BC. 

According to the Province, the average family is saving $7,200 per year, per child, with reduced fees at over 97% of licensed child care spaces.

Additionally, nearly 59,000 new child care spaces have opened since ChildCareBC launched and around 12,000 more funded spaces are currently being developed.

Now, the Province wants to continue to build on the progress it’s made and is seeking input to guide the future of child care in BC.

This year, the provincial budget provided a $330-million increase to ChildCareBC to stabilize the programs and services offered by the Province.

Guidance is sought from the government to see what is working for families, and to determine priorities.

The survey is now available online here, and will be open until Thursday, July 9th. 

It is currently only available in English but will be made available in French, Punjabi, simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese in the coming days.