Building on the Successes of Child Care Expansion: Three Priority Areas to Help the Sector Grow
Since ChildCareBC launched in 2018, the child care sector has made historic leaps in making care more affordable and accessible—the result of game-changing investments from the provincial and federal governments. The province reports that the average cost of care in BC has been halved, and that over 37,000 new spaces have been funded. But with reports of just one space for every four children in the province, and only around 10% of spaces being offered at $10 a day, many parents are still struggling to find affordable care.
In the lead up to the provincial election, it’s vital that we build on these successes and accelerate work to create a fair system for all.
YMCA BC has worked collaboratively with the province and municipalities to open thousands of new spaces for children across BC since 2018. As the largest provider of licensed child care in BC, and across Canada, we see firsthand how quality early learning and care benefits kids, their families, and the economy. But we also know the challenges the child care sector faces.
These are the three areas where the provincial government could take further action to help the sector grow and deliver the additional spaces we need.
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A strong and resilient workforce
The long-standing workforce shortage of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) and other child care professionals represents the most significant barrier to achieving the province’s space creation goals. To address this, the Government could scale up training programs like the Work Integrated Learning Program, remove barriers for internationally trained child care professionals, and implement a salary grid to make it easier and more attractive to enter and stay in the workforce.
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A sustainable and stable funding model
Caps and restrictions on fee increases have made child care more affordable for parents but a long-term sustainable funding approach is needed to ensure providers can cover the rising costs associated with operating and delivering high-quality care. That means moving away from annual renewals to longer-term funding agreements that adequately adjust for inflation and account for the additional costs of delivering in rural locations.
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A strengthened school-age child care system
School age care is a critical part of our child care system. There has been welcome progress towards affordable school age care, but the Government should explore how to strengthen the school age workforce through wage enhancements and opportunities for professional development, and how to foster partnerships between school districts and non-profit providers to deliver more spaces on school grounds.