Advocates hope for a program revamp as B.C. pauses $10-a-day child-care enrolment

Some child-care advocates say they are cautiously optimistic despite the British Columbia government’s decision to pause expansion of the $10-a-day child-care program.

The NDP government’s 2026 budget, tabled Tuesday, said the province is investing $330 million into ChildCareBC to “stabilize” the program. 

Budget documents said the province decided to pause new enrolment after hearing criticism from providers about the current funding model.

The program was introduced in 2018 under John Horgan’s NDP government, with a pledge to implement universal $10-a-day childcare in the next 10-years. The latest provincial data shows only about 10 per cent of childcare spaces are $10-a-day. 

Sharon Gregson with the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC (CCCABC) said advocates and providers have been calling on the province to rework its funding model for the program.

“In underfunding the $10-a-day sites, in many cases early childhood educators were faced with having their wages rolled back,” said Gregson. She said childcare providers don’t want to have to choose between raising parent fees or lowers educators’ wages.

“There’s an opportunity for the government to get back on track, and expand $10-a-day in a way that works for the educators and providers as well,” said Gregson. 

Gregson said changes should include implementing an early childhood educator wage grid, which B.C. committed to in a 2021 agreement with the federal government. A 2024 report by Early Childhood Educators of B.C. said high-turnover is still a challenge in the sector.

Gregson said it’s important that the province resume efforts to expand the program as soon as possible. 

“That pause has to be short, sharp and focussed,” said Gregson.

The province said there will be no changes for providers and families currently in the $10-a-day program.

But Gregson said too many families are still left out.

“If you’re paying $2000 a month for childcare, this budget doesn’t change anything for you,” she said.

Carole Gordon, President of the B.C. Teacher’s Federation, said after the budget announcement in Victoria on Tuesday that the decision to halt expansion of the program is disappointing.

“I’m hoping this pause is really temporary,” said Gordon. “[The program] benefits our members within schools, who are predominantly women, but also the families that we teach.”

But Gordon welcomed the inclusion of $25 million in the budget to expand child care on school grounds.

B.C. Federation of Labour President Sussanne Skidmore said the budget represents a missed opportunity to invest more into childcare as a way to grow the province’s GDP, noting that any improvements to affordable childcare help more people get into the workforce.

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