BC's Minister of State for Child Care tells parents there's no doubt this province has a child care crisis, but change has begun.
A recent Vancouver Sun report revealed over 80% of parents are forced to rely on unlicensed care, and pay non-refundable deposits and fees as high as $1-thousand. Many say they are thinking of leaving Vancouver, or even the province because of it.
Chen acknowledges the B.C. has a long way to go to fix a complicated problem:
" I definitely think that the years of neglect, and the years of not putting a focus on this system make it even hard for B.C. to start the work, because we're quite behind comparing to many other jurisdictions all over the world. Quebec is a great example. But, I am hopeful because I think we can learn from other jurisdictions to look at what works the best for B.C."
The minister notes that every dollar invested in child care results in a $6 return, and strengthens the ability of business in the province to recruit and retain workers.
Chen says while it won't happen overnight, establishing Universal Day care is the goal:
" It's important for parents to know that we have 3 initiatives. The prototype site, the fee reduction which is not income tested. We work with providers to reduce parent fees up to $350 a month. And then we have an income tested afforedable child care benefit which is going all the way up to $111,000, which a lot of people don't realize that they are eligible."
She points to a plan to spend $1.3-Billion over 3 years to develop programs aimed at making daycare more affordable, including creating 53 prototype child care centres in B.C. to pilot $10-a-day daycare. There's also a program to reduce fees for parents not tied to income, as well as an income tested benefit for families bringing in up to $111-thousand a year.
Chen says the province is taking the lead, but needs to work with Ottawa, municipal governments, Indigenous communites and school districts to continue to expand the services.