The premier and child care minister were in Richmond on Tuesday morning to announce provincial government is halfway through its child care plan with more than 10,000 new spaces created over the past year.
Premier John Horgan and Minister of State for Childcare Katrina Chen were at Little Wings Daycare on Sea Island, marking the milestone.
The Childcare BC plan has saved parents $320 million in child care benefits and fee reductions, according to figures from the province.
This has translated into more than 20,000 families receiving child care for $10 a day or less since last September.
Early childhood educators are also receiving a $1-per-hour wage enhancement from the province and will get an addition dollar per hour starting in April.
“Quality, affordable child care is making a real difference for B.C. families,” Horgan said in a press release. “In less than two years, we’ve funded more than 10,400 child care spaces, giving parents much-needed relief and the chance to rejoin the workforce.”
Horgan spoke about when his children were young, his wife stayed home and started a home-based business supplying daycare with craft supplies.
“That was how our family addressed the challenge of affordability – one parent stayed home and tried to make a living from the basement,” Horgan told the audience at Little Wings. But, he added, that isn’t an option for many families who need to be in the workforce.
