Open Letter to Finance Minister Freeland
OPEN LETTER to The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Download the PDF here... September 1, 2020 On behalf of the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC, congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Finance. As Government prepares for the Throne Speech and your first...
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Thea's Child Care Story
My husband and I put our lifetime savings to our “Canadian dream”, even instead of doing a full-on Catholic Church wedding in the Philippines. Our law firm said that the better the “score” the better the chances of getting the immigration papers approved. This is what Canada likes. What were...
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BC's COVID-19 Recovery
$10aDay Child Care NOW For British Columbia and Canada to forge a resilient and just future, building a quality, affordable child care system with fairly compensated early childhood educators must be a priority. Increasing the public investment in child care now will play a central role in building a sustainable...
COVID UPDATE: Child Care in British Columbia
April 11, 2020 Dear friends and supporters: Like you we were very relieved to hear BC’s Provincial Health Officer report on April 6 that, “Our percentage of new cases, as you can see, has been slowing, it’s been bending, and that’s really important.” It feels like good news that our...
Response to BC Financial Incentives for COVID-19
March 25, 2020 Honourable Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development Honourable Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care Dear Ministers: We want to express our profound appreciation for your efforts to address the current unprecedented challenges facing our community and the child care sector in particular. Today,...
Child Care and COVID-19
Dear friends and supporters: We hope that you and your family are safe and well-supported during this critical time. As the public health emergency unfolds, we are reminding ourselves to approach our advocacy with the ‘generosity of spirit’ that’s essential to achieving the child care system BC needs. We acknowledge...
COVID19 and BC Child Care
Workers, operators and advocates question B.C.'s decision not to close all childcare facilities Maria Weisgarber , CTV News Vancouver @ctv_mariaw Published Wednesday, March 18, 2020 VANCOUVER -- Struggles to maintain staff ratios and locate and buy necessary cleaning supplies are just two of the concerns being raised by childcare workers, operators and...
Victoria
Province invests in more than 400 more childcare spaces in Greater Victoria DEVON BIDAL Mar. 6, 2020 ‘These extra spaces will provide relief for many families,’ says Cordova Bay Elementary PAC president The B.C. government is helping to bring more than 400 new childcare spaces to the Capital Regional District (CRD)....
Child Care Fee Survey Results
B.C. child-care funding benefits centres, not families, in some cities March 12, 2020 Nick Eagland, The Vancouver Sun Government programs to make child care more affordable in B.C. are helping families but some for-profit centres may not be passing all of those benefits along, according to a new survey by the...
Castlegar
Improving access to quality, affordable child care in Castlegar by Contributor on Friday Mar 13 2020 The Province is making affordable, quality child care more accessible for families in Castlegar by investing in 30 new spaces. “Partnering with local government lets us create more new licensed child care spaces...
Close Child Care Programs
Read this poignant letter from a dedicated Early Childhood Educator....
Editorial
Editorial: New childcare spaces a step in the right direction It has been a banner year for parents in the Cowichan Valley looking for childcare. It was announced last week that three new childcare centres will be opening in the Cowichan Valley in September of this year. They will be...
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BC Budget 2020 Media Release
$10aDay Response to BC Budget 2020
Child Care Top of Mind
Child care, housing top of mind for parents ahead of budget Jesse Johnston · CBC News · Posted: Feb 12, 2020 The B.C. government will table the budget on Feb. 18, 2020 Katie Barthel, a mother of two from Surrey, is an advocate for $10-a-day daycare in B.C. (Jesse Johnston/CBC) There's a short window during...
$10aDay Prototypes to Continue
Pilot project for $10 daycare extended to April 2021 Victoria News AARON GUILLEN The 80 Victoria families benefiting from the $10 a day daycare pilot program will be receiving daycare at that same price until April 2021. Lexie Biegun says she recently found out that the provincial government had renewed the...
A Plan for School-Aged Child Care in Schools
It just makes sense! Click here to access a PDF version of this post. On November 8, 2019, BC’s Minister of Education hosted a very significant Early Learning Summit. The Summit brought together school district leaders, teachers, and representatives from child care organizations from across BC to hear about the...
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Promise of Universal $10-a-day Child Care
B.C. NDP government is still a long way from meeting its promise of universal $10-a-day child care Globe & Mail Editorial January 12, 2020 Life in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland is expensive. The high cost of housing is widely known, but another outsized bill is the cost of child care,...
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It's Time to Double Down on Child care
BC’s Childcare Investments Are Commendable. Now It’s Time to Double Down Taking stock of the government’s efforts, and what’s still needed. Sharon Gregson 8 Jan 2020 | TheTyee.ca This month marks almost two years since the BC NDP government, supported by the Greens, launched “Childcare BC” to fulfill the campaign promise of providing universal, affordable...
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Recommendations for Effective Expansion of Licensed Child Care Spaces in BC
Click here to view a PDF version of this post. The BC government is committed to creating 24,000 new licensed child care spaces by 2021. Consistent with $10aDay Plan recommendations, government is encouraging partnerships with public partners (school districts, municipalities) to help achieve this goal. However, government continues to rely...
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Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce Support
COLUMN: Good business key to a great community: The Chamber Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce CEO Catherine Holt shares her thoughts on 2019 "After housing, child care is the largest expense for working families. The Chamber applauded the provincial government for investing in 22,000 licensed child care spaces in the...
Expanding Child Care in BC
Here's an important update to read on the Effective Expansion of Licensed Child Care in BC...
Child Care in Victoria
Province adds 260 more childcare spaces in Greater Victoria 144 spaces will be located at elementary schools NICOLE CRESCENZI The provincial government will add 260 more childcare spaces in the Capital Region, ranging from daycare to after school care. Of the spaces, 144 will be located at three elementary schools:...
New Infant/Toddler Spaces in Campbell River
Province funds new childcare spaces at Campbell River learning centre Troy Landreville The province says it’s investing in affordable childcare. Through Childcare BC’s New Spaces Fund, Island Life Early Learning Centre in Campbell River will see 12 new infant/toddler spaces. Located within the Salvation Army community church, the centre offers...
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Positive Impacts of $10aDay Child Care
A Mother's Story When I had my first baby, I enjoyed my time at home but as my parental leave came to an end I began to frantically search for child care. I contacted the local CCRR andlooked at various options. I was not impressed with the cost of childcare...
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Survey for the Child Care Workforce in BC
SRDC wants to hear how BC’s Early Care and Learning Recruitment and Retention Strategy has impacted you and those who work with you. The survey is intended for everyone in the child care workforce plus educators and educator assistants holding certificates but not currently working with children. More information is available...
Parents Feel Squeezed...
Parents feel squeezed by child-care costs. Here’s where they want help BY MEGHAN COLLIE GLOBAL NEWS Posted October 20, 2019 Steve, 32, knows all about the struggle to find affordable, high-quality child care. The new father lives in Ottawa with his wife and 11-month-old son. Until recently, both of them worked full time, Steve...
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Where do the Parties Stand on Child Care
Federal election 2019: Where do the major parties stand on family and child care? Although household income is on the rise in Canada, many families are still feeling strapped for cash. Here is a look at the promises the major parties have made to ease the financial burdens of raising...
Port Alberni Stroller Brigade
Port Alberni ‘Stroller Brigade’ marches for child care ELENA RARDON Oct. 7, 2019 Port Alberni parents, guardians and early childhood educators joined others across British Columbia in a Stroller Brigade for Child Care last weekend. Dozens gathered at Wallace Street and Wood Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 5 before walking down to...
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Universal childcare system is crucial
If we’re serious about getting more women in executive roles, a universal childcare system is crucial TEA NICOLA CONTRIBUTED TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL PUBLISHED OCTOBER 6, 2019 Tea Nicola is the CEO and co-founder of WealthBar, one of Canada’s leading online wealth management platforms. In the pages of this paper,...
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Federal Election Agenda
B.C. parents aim to put child care on the federal election agenda Ian Holliday, CTV News VancouverPublished Saturday, October 5, 2019 Parents rallied in 21 communities across B.C. Saturday to draw attention to an issue they want to see discussed on the campaign trail during this federal election: child care....
Video: Families in Langley
Langley march calls for affordable daycare Stroller Brigade on Saturday was one of several such demonstrations in B.C. JOTI GREWAL Oct. 5, 2019 About two dozen parents and kids marched around the Langley Events Centre Saturday afternoon, carrying signs that read, “Kids matter/Invest in child care now,” “we want $10/day child...
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Penticton Stroller Brigade
Families march for childcare By MELANIE EKSAL Penticton Herald Oct 5, 2019 A brigade of families marched to Queen’s Park Elementary School Saturday morning in an effort to raise awareness for changes in the childcare industry. Together, the Coalition of Child Advocates of B.C., Early Childhood Educators of B.C. and the...
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Stroller Brigades in BC
'Stroller brigades' across B.C. make plea for national child-care strategy Maryse Zeidler · CBC News · Posted: Oct 05, 2019 Parents and their supporters in 21 communities across British Columbia rallied on Saturday morning to call for a national child-care strategy. The protesters, many of them with strollers in tow, want the federal government to...
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Kelowna Stroller Brigade
Kelowna Stroller Brigade marches for affordable and accessible childcare Oct 5, 2019 by Megan Trudeau A group of enthusiastic families and childcare workers gathered today at the Parkinson Rec Centre to raise awareness ahead of the federal election. Armed with signs, balloons and whistles, the group marched all the way...
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Squamish Stroller Brigade
Parents and tots protest for affordable childcare in Squamish Stroller brigade through downtown joins 20 communities’ plea Keili Bartlett Squamish Chief OCTOBER 5, 2019 It’s a sunny Saturday in Squamish, and there are more strollers than usual being pushed through downtown. On Oct. 5, around 50 parents — and at least...
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Campbell River Stroller Brigade
Childcare centres to hold Stroller Brigades in Campbell River Brigades to encourage people to vote in the federal election with early care and learning in mind. The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC with the Early Childhood Educators of BC and The Waitlisted Project are coordinating province-wide “Stroller Brigades...
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New Westminster Stroller Brigade
Stroller Brigade hits New Westminster this weekend Theresa McManus New West Record OCTOBER 3, 2019 The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. is using the federal election as an opportunity to highlight the importance of child care funding. The group is holding a Stroller Brigade for Child Care on...
Child Care a Federal Election Issue
B.C. parents demand to make child-care a vital federal election issue BY NIKITHA MARTINS Posted Oct 5, 2019 VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A number of parents are hitting the streets armed with their strollers to voice their demand to make child-care more of a federal election issue. The ‘Stroller Brigade’ is...
Langley Stroller Brigade
Langley march aims to make child care a federal election issue The Stroller Brigade will be held Saturday at the Langley Events Centre JOTI GREWAL Oct. 4, 2019 A stroller brigade will take to the streets of Langley this weekend with the goal of making child care a federal election issue....
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Child Care in the Federal Election on CBC Radio
Listen here to Stephen Quinn from the Early Edition interview Sharon Gregson, spokesperson for the $10aDay Plan, and Paul Kershaw, founder of Gen Squeeze.
Stroller Brigades in Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon & Penticton
Stroller Brigades want attention on child care across B.C. InfoNews.ca Jenna Wheeler KAMLOOPS - In 20 cities across B.C., mothers, fathers, childcare providers, and guardians will partake in the Stroller Brigade in an effort to increase visibility and political focus on issues parents face trying to find and afford childcare. On Saturday,...
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Comox Valley Stroller Brigade
Comox Valley Stroller Brigade bringing childcare crisis to forefront Comox Valley Record, October 1, 2019 Have you or someone you know been on a waitlist for childcare far longer than you care to admit? Does the lack of quality, affordable, accessible childcare have a negative impact on your life? Does...
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Join the Stroller Brigades on October 5th
It’s now confirmed there will be a federal election on October 21st and we’re hoping you’ll help us to make Child Care visible as an important election issue in your community! The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC along with the Early Childhood Educators of BC and The Waitlisted Project are supporting province-wide “Stroller...
Child Care in Sea-to-Sky Region
Child care in Sea-to-Sky region going from 'bad to worse to crisis to chaos' Municipalities, provincial government say work is being done to alleviate child-care crunch Liam Britten · CBC News · Posted: Aug 19, 2019 Elliott Hashimoto spent 18 hours outside in the dark and rain of a Whistler night to get what's...
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Support for $10aDay from Nelson, B.C.
Support for move toward universal childcare supported by council... by Timothy Schafer on Sunday August 25 2019 The province is moving towards the creation of a universal childcare plan and the city has moved to support that effort and becomes the 60th municipality to do so. The city recently approved a...
North Okanagan begins community child care planning
Thanks to a $25,000 grant from the province to undertake a community child care planning process, the City of Enderby has secured a consultant who will be kicking off the process. Kara Wilhelms will be working directly with the community to develop a child care inventory, needs assessment, and action...
Budget surplus means B.C. on track to provide universal child care
Minister of Finance Carole James says ending 2018 with $1.5 billion operating surplus makes ten-dollar-a-day child care accessible to more families. VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) — The latest Public Accounts report from the provincial government shows the operating debt has been eliminated for the first time in more than 40 years –which should...
Over 600 new Indigenous Early Learning & Child Care Spaces
Indigenous families in over 30 communities throughout the province will benefit from more than 600 new, free licensed child care spaces and expanded Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) programs. These programs support Indigenous families in becoming stronger and keep children connected to their culture. The announcement was made by Katrine Conroy,...