The team behind BC’s popular $10aDay Child Care Plan, an initiative of the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC and Early Childhood Educators of BC, has announced a 2019 update to the plan for a public system of integrated early care and learning,
“As the BC government continues to invest in child care the 2019 edition takes the current successes and challenges into consideration,” explains Sharon Gregson, spokesperson for the $10aDay Child Care campaign, “our core message is the same – affordable fees for families at no more than $10 a day – with enough quality, licensed spaces across BC, and educators must be paid fairly.”
The updates include:
- move child care to the Ministry of Education
- create a child care capital budget to build new publicly owned child care facilities in partnership with school districts, local governments, and non-profits
- accelerate the expansion of Universal $10 a day Child Care Prototype Sites
- accelerate the wage enhancements to ECEs and implement a provincial wage grid
- ensure that the Fee Reduction Initiative grows at a rapid rate so that fees come down for all families in licensed programs, thus reducing the need for subsidies
- increase ECE educational opportunities and access to public post-secondary institutions
The $10aDay Child Care plan has the support of 51 local governments, 31 school districts, community organizations, unions, businesses and individuals representing more than 2 million British Columbians.
“The success of BC’s $10aDay Plan demonstrates that evidence-based policy and political will can impact families, child care workers and gender equity for the better. The 2019 additions will bring the Plan to reality for many more BC families,” said Morna Ballantyne, Executive Director of Child Care Now.
Read the 2019 edition of the $10aDay Plan