In 2018 BC committed to achieving universal $10aDay child care.
But 7 years into its 10-year plan, BC is nowhere close to delivering the promised universal access, affordability, or quality.
Not Delivering Access
Large gap to universal child care
The gap to BC's promise of universal access – a space for every child who needs it – is large, driven especially by a lack of before-and-after school care.
Access to child care is highly unequal
Across BC's school districts access to licensed child care varies significantly, from 8% - 44%. This means that in some school districts, there are only enough publicly-funded child care spaces for about 1 in 10 children age 0 through Grade 7, while in other districts there are spaces for closer to half of young children.
Here's the proportion of children who have access to child care, in each of BC's school districts:
Not Delivering Affordability
Most of Canada has set fees for child care
"Set fees" means all families pay no more than a set amount ($10 per day, for example). This is how it works in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI, and Nunavut (at least for the vast majority of spaces).
But in BC, we're stuck with an unfair lottery
First, there's only enough licensed child care for 1 in 4 children age 0 through Grade 7 – with highly unequal access depending on where you live. So you have to be lucky to get any kind of licensed space. But you have to be even luckier to find a $10aDay, set fee space. Getting one is like winning the lottery.
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Not Delivering Access
Large gap to universal child care
The gap to BC's promise of universal access – a space for every child who needs it – is large, driven especially by a lack of before-and-after school care.
Access to child care is highly unequal
Across BC's school districts access to licensed child care varies significantly, from 8% - 44%. This means that in some school districts, there are only enough publicly-funded child care spaces for about 1 in 10 children age 0 through Grade 7, while in other districts there are spaces for closer to half of young children.
Here's the proportion of children who have access to child care, in each of BC's school districts:
Not Delivering Affordability
Most of Canada has set fees for child care
"Set fees" means all families pay no more than a set amount ($10 per day, for example). This is how it works in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI, and Nunavut (at least for the vast majority of spaces).
But in BC, we're stuck with an unfair lottery
First, there's only enough licensed child care for 1 in 4 children age 0 through Grade 7 – with highly unequal access depending on where you live. So you have to be lucky to get any kind of licensed space. But you have to be even luckier to find a $10aDay, set fee space. Getting one is like winning the lottery.
Pick a region to see your odds👇