Parents frustrated as B.C. daycare announces new fees after receiving government subsidies
There's growing frustration among parents at a Langley, B.C., daycare after learning the facility wants to introduce new fees for existing services – just months after it began accepting additional government subsidies designed to reduce financial pressure on families.
Parents told CTV News they received an email from Pebbles & Piaget Early Learning on Thursday evening informing them certain services that were previously included in their monthly tuition would become optional beginning in February.
The email said daily meals would be subject to a new charge of $260 per month, and access to a classroom camera would cost $150 per month.
Pebbles and Piaget said the "mounting costs" of those services necessitated the new charges.
"Our goal to provide top-notch care and education to our students is our priority and we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure we never waiver from that promise," the daycare said in its email. "Thank you for your continued support, patience and understanding."
Some parents were stunned to receive the notice just weeks after they began benefiting from increases to the province's Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, which further reduced monthly costs by as much as $550 starting Dec. 1.
"We had just made our December payment of $611, and that was huge for us – the month before we were paying $1,161," said one mother, who asked not to be named over concerns about losing child care at Pebbles & Piaget.
"Two and a half weeks later, to be slapped in the face with this is really heartbreaking."
The parent told CTV News that having her family's child-care costs subsidized helped justify her decision to return to the workforce.
"When the government reduced the monthly costs with these subsidies, I immediately felt a weight off my shoulders," she said. "I can return to a fulfilling career, and my son can thrive at a reputable daycare."
Some parents spoke out about the new fees on social media, describing the sudden charges as "double-dipping" in light of the increased government funding, which goes directly to providers.
The B.C. government confirmed it is aware of concerns regarding Pebbles & Piaget's proposed fees and is looking into them.
Under the province's agreement with providers that accept payments from the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, facilities are allowed to increase annual fees by a maximum of three per cent annually.
They are also allowed to charge additional fees for certain services, including meals – but only if those were not previously included in monthly tuition, or if they receive special approval from the government.
"Under the fee reduction contract, providers are prohibited from removing an existing service and then adding that same service back as optional with a fee, without approval from the ministry," Grace Lore, minister of state for child care, said in a statement.
Staff at the daycare said they could not comment on the new fees Friday afternoon. CTV News has requested more information from the facility's management, and this story will be updated if a response is received.
Parents who complained about the new fees said they have been invited to a pair of meetings at Pebbles & Piaget Monday morning, where they were promised the rationale behind the charges would be explained.
In an email statement, the province noted that direct subsidy payments to non-family child-care providers have roughly doubled this fall in order to "help them reduce the need to pass costs onto parents."
Lore said anyone concerned about their provider's implementation of fee subsidies should contact the ministry by calling 1-888-338-662 or emailing ccof@gov.bc.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.