BACKGROUNDER

Common Sense Childcare: Affordability and Choice

All families deserve access to childcare that helps their child thrive and provides the opportunity for parents to return to good jobs if and when they choose. Young families are our future, and if life is too unaffordable for families in BC, they will build the future elsewhere - and increasingly, many are. 

The Eby-Trudeau alliance has failed BC’s families. After 7 years, the only childcare “access” many families have is access to a waitlist. BC is now last in the country for childbirths because families just can’t make the numbers work anymore, and nearly 60% of parents say they have difficulty finding childcare in Eby’s BC.

On top of this mismanagement, NDP bias against independent childcare providers – a woman-led industry that provides the majority of childcare spaces in BC - has made the crisis even worse. 

It’s time for common sense change. Parents are calling for more childcare, and we’re listening. We will expand the supply of affordable childcare spots, work in partnership with independent childcare providers, and give parents the resources they need to look after their kids in the way that works best for each family.

 

Real $10 a Day Childcare 

Recently, UBC researchers spent six months searching for low-income single moms with access to $10 a day childcare spaces - and they could only find 17 in total. Childcare should be affordable and accessible, and the parents most in need can’t find it after 7 years of NDP failure.

The NDP’s government-first approach to $10 a day childcare is designed to shut-out independent childcares, who are willing and ready to provide spaces at $10 a day if given equal treatment. Independent providers have also been stripped of access to the start-up and renovation funding needed to create more spaces.

To help families access real affordable childcare, The Conservative Party of BC will:

  • Expand $10 a day childcare availability by ending the NDP’s funding bias against independent childcare providers, who are experienced and ready to provide the $10 a day spaces that families need - right now.
  • Expedite access to $10 a day childcare for the kids who need it most. Access to a waitlist is not access to childcare. As we do everything possible to bring more spaces online, we will make sure that $10 a day spaces are being made available to the kids who have the fewest alternatives.

 

More spaces, more choices for families

The NDP is trying to turn childcare into a one-size-fits all model, even though families have a variety of needs, circumstances, and cultural and personal preferences. Conservatives believe that parents deserve choice and the support to raise their children in the way that works best for each family.

Most independent childcare providers in our province are woman-led small businesses who are proud of what they do. Families across BC rely on these experienced, licensed, and conscientious childcare providers for high-quality care in local neighborhoods.

Unfortunately, red tape prevents childcare providers from doing their jobs, and Eby’s NDP has made the problem even worse by providing them with vastly diminished support compared to centralized, government-run facilities - which we will also continue to support.

To expand childcare availability and flexibility for families, the Conservative Party of BC will:

  • Increase the supply of childcare, everywhere by identifying and fixing unnecessary or unreasonable regulations - by any level of government - that prevent high-quality childcare spaces from opening, whether in home-based childcares, commercial spaces, or in public buildings like schools and rec centers.
  • Provide financial relief for all lower and middle income families. The Affordable Childcare Benefit and BC Family Benefit will be reviewed and increased so families have what they need to look after their kids - whether they prefer childcare outside the house, at home with parents, or with support from family members.
  • Create 24-hour childcare spaces to support shift workers and first responders.
  • Support schools that want to offer childcare programs.
  • Simplify credential conversion for professionals such as educators, social workers, and teachers who wish to move into childcare. 
  • Allow educators to work as Early Childhood Educator assistants during summer months.