The province will double the number of $10-a-day child care spaces available to families in B.C. as part of its 2021 budget rolled out Tuesday (April 20).
The child care funding released in this budget totals $223 million over three years. Of that money, $111 million will be used to fund 3,750 new $10-a-day spaces, across 75 additional ChildCareBC universal prototype sites over the next three years.
Viveca Ellis, provincial organizer at the Single Mothers91裸聊视频� Alliance for Gender & Economic Justice, said the province missed out on an opportunity to commit to a 91裸聊视频渢ruly universal91裸聊视频� child care system.
91裸聊视频淎t this time, the province is opting to continue with the subsidy application model, which is cumbersome and ineffective,91裸聊视频� Ellis said, particularly for single mothers who may struggle to find time to navigate the government91裸聊视频檚 systems.
That issue hits some groups more than others, she added.
91裸聊视频淭he lone mother led families that are in some of the toughest situations and the most severe poverty do tend to be predominantly racialized and Indigenous lone mothers 91裸聊视频� and we do hear from these members that they find this system challenging to navigate and confusing.91裸聊视频�
Even when women can navigate the system of subsidies, Ellis said that just finding spots for their children proves to be another challenge.
91裸聊视频淲e need many more spots than just the couple of thousands that are being added at this time,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淲e needed at least triple the amount of $10 a day subsidized spaces that this budget is allowing.91裸聊视频�
Generation Squeeze founder Paul Kershaw said that the lack of across the board $10-a-day child care is a compromise that will only increase the 91裸聊视频済enerational squeeze91裸聊视频� being felt by many young families.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 fair to say this provincial budget does not deliver on promises to child care,91裸聊视频� he told reporters, adding that the province needs to play an active role in bringing down the costs for young families.
91裸聊视频淚t is not enough for the province to simply bank on the big child care announcement made in the federal budget,91裸聊视频� he added. 91裸聊视频淥ttawa still requires an active provincial partner to bring about the $10-a-day child care vision. BC Budget 2021 reveals that our government does not plan to be as active as it promised during the last election. That91裸聊视频檚 a shame.91裸聊视频�
However, Ellis said the additional $4-per-hour for early childcare educators is a 91裸聊视频渧ery welcome and necessary91裸聊视频� move. The increase moves up early childhood educator salaries to as much as $23-an-hour and will cost the B.C. government $94 million.
91裸聊视频淚t is a predominantly female dominated sector and for far, far too long, the wages have been far too low,91裸聊视频� Ellis said, adding that she hopes to see 91裸聊视频渟ignificant91裸聊视频� future raises scheduled for upcoming years.
In a statement, Stephanie Smith, president of the BCGEU which represents many child care workers across B.C., also lauded the news.
The province91裸聊视频檚 child care funding will also expand the Seamless Day Pilot to 20 additional school districts, up from the current four. The program, Finance Minister Selina Robinson said, will be a 91裸聊视频渓ife changer91裸聊视频� for families with multiple children by allowing them to drop off both school and pre-school aged kids at the same facility.
Additional child care funding in the 2021 budget includes $20 million in health and safety grants for child care providers, 110 new post-secondary seats for early childhood educators, and $20 million over three years to add 400 spaces to Aboriginal Head Start program.
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