Once a leader in $10-a-day child care, B.C. now lags behind: report
A new report suggests that British Columbia is falling behind in its goal to provide universal $10-a-day child care. Parents continue to face long waitlists and high costs, leading to calls for government reform.
Why it matters
The failure to implement affordable child care affects workforce participation and family planning, highlighting a gap between policy promises and implementation.
"We probably put ourselves on about 20 waitlists across Vancouver. We haven't heard back from any of them," Dalling said.
The Vancouver mom says parents have no choice but to wait or cold call daycares.
And because B.C. has no fee caps for daycares, prices can fluctuate between $200 and $2,000 a month.
"When you get a spot at a daycare, you're not really asking how much it costs, you need the spot," she said.
Ella Dalling says she joined daycare waitlists when she was pregnant with her first child. Her nine-month-old daughter Murph still doesn't have a spot secured. (Submitted by Ella Dalling) Dalling has launched an online platform called Little Scout where daycares can post open spots and parents can find what’s available near them.
Through that business, she's talked to parents and child-care operators from across B.C. who say the current system needs improvement.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in