B.C. families could see child-care fees cut by as much as $550/month
B.C. families paying for child care could soon save hundreds of dollars each month, provincial officials announced Friday.
Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen, Minister of Education and Child Care Jennifer Whiteside and federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould made the joint announcement Friday morning.
The child-care officials said parents with children under the age of three in group care will see the biggest savings with fees being reduced up to $550 per child each month by Dec. 1.
Parents with children aged three to five could see fee reductions up to $445 monthly. Those with children in kindergarten receiving before- and after-school care could save up to $220 per month.
Savings will be higher for families accessing group care than for those using family and in-home care.
Chen explained the province first focused the reductions on "where fees are the highest," which tends to be for young children under the age of five. It's expected the fee reductions will be expanded to all school-aged children next September.
"To all the parents, I want to tell you that, as a mother myself, we feel you … we understand that child care is critical for our economy for our children and for our families' well-being," Chen said during Friday's announcement.
The province said it'll work directly with child-care providers, so parents won't need to apply to get lower fees. The new savings aren't income-based and officials estimate families of about 69,000 children will benefit from the fee reductions.
The B.C. government announced new child-care savings on Sept. 23, 2022. (Province of BC)
"Child-care costs are often the cost of another mortgage. They're often more what you're paying out-of-pocket than what your take-home pay is in a month," Gould said Friday.
Child-care providers will be able to raise their fees, but by no more than three per cent of the typical fee being charged by similar providers in their region.
By the end of the year, parents with kids in kindergarten and younger are expected to pay an average of $21 per day. The province said that's down from an average of $53 a day before any of its ChildCareBC supports were implemented.
MORE $10-A-DAY SPACES COMING
In June, the province announced its $10-a-day child-care program will expand through a partnership with the federal government. At the time, the province said, $10-a-day child care spaces would grow from around 6,500 in the province to 12,500.
Applications for those spaces were reviewed on a rolling basis and were accepted until mid-August.
Officials said Friday the province is on-track to offer these child-care spaces.
'STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION'
The First Nations Leadership Council said in a statement Friday it applauds the work the province is doing to reduce child-care fees, calling it "a significant step in the right direction."
Many First Nations people find themselves at the bottom of the economic ladder in Canada. Unfortunately, for them, child care and preschool have been an unreachable 'luxury,' which they could simply not afford," Cheryl Casimir, First Nations Summit political executive, said in a news release.
"This increased funding will allow all First Nations parents, no matter how low their income, to send their children to preschool and daycare, inclusive of First Nations’ culture and language."
Members of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations said more work needs to be done to improve access to child care in rural, remote and reserve communities.
"We look forward to engaging with the province to discuss distinction-based funding opportunities and supports for First Nations on reserve wanting to establish licensed child-care facilities," Chief Terry Teegee said in a statement.
The province said its new child-care savings are being funded through a five-year, $3.2 billion Canada-B.C. Canada-wide early learning and child care agreement.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.