The province is looking for child care providers to become prototype sites.
The prototype sites would run from September 1st of this year to the end of March next year.
Fees at the approved facilities will be capped at 200 dollars a month, per child.
Information learned from the exercise will be used by the government to work towards the expansion of universal child care over the next 10 years.
For eligible families with an annual pre-tax income of less than $45,000, childcare will be free at these facilities through the new Affordable Child Care Benefit, which will officially roll out in September 2018.
Families with a pre-tax income under $111,000 will pay less than $10 a day.
To be eligible to apply for the program, child care providers must:
* be currently providing licensed child care for infants and toddlers (under 36 months)
* have been receiving child care operating funding for at least two years
* be approved for the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative
* provide information on the financial details of their operation
* support a site visit from an evaluation contractor, as part of access to a one-time quality improvement grant
* be willing to enrol families receiving the new Affordable Child Care Benefit
Whenever possible, priority will be given to applicants serving:
* Indigenous parents and children
* families new to Canada (non-residents of Canada within the last 12 months)
* young parents (parents under the age of 25)
* francophone families
* families with children who have diverse/extra support needs and/or require inclusive child care spaces
* families who require extended hours of operation to cover shift work or other commitments.
Providers interested in this opportunity can learn more by participating in informational webinars being held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20, Wednesday, June 27, and Wednesday, July 4, 2018.
To join one of the webinars, please visit:Â http://video.web.gov.bc.ca/
