BC parents to save about $550 a month more on childcare fees starting now

Editor’s Note: An earlier version said this is an increase of $200 since 2018. That number has been corrected.

BC parents could see a little bit of financial relief starting in December, thanks to a funding boost from the BC government that promises to save parents as much as $6,600 more a year in childcare costs.

Starting December 1, families with children enrolled in licensed participating childcare facilities will save about $550 a month per child, the province said.

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Parents will not get a cheque directly, but instead, the province will fund licensed childcare centres, which will in turn pass on the savings.

It’s being funded through the five-year, $3.2 billion Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

“Child care is one of the biggest bills many families face each month,” said Katrina Chen, BC’s Minister of State for Child Care. “Cutting child care fees again, this time by as much as $550 a month more per child, is one way we are taking action to put money back in people’s pockets at a time when rising global inflation is making life more expensive.”

The savings will be higher for parents of younger children.

/BC government

“A family with a 10-month-old and a three-year-old in group care could save as much as $11,940 more per year, in addition to the $5,400 per year they are already saving,” the province said.

It’s in addition to the $350 in child care fee savings brought in 2018.

“A family with a two-year-old and a four-year-old receiving family care would see up to $10,080 more in savings each year, in addition to the $3,120 per year they are already saving,” it added.

FNLC Applauds Major Child Care Savings for Families in BC. @CherylCcasimer: This increased funding will allow all FN parents, no matter how low their income, 2 send their children 2 preschool & daycare, inclusive of First Nations’ culture & lang.: https://t.co/wFRTfbLFx7 #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/EDQidZPRmv

— First Nations Summit (@FNSummit) September 23, 2022

The news has been celebrated by several organizations, including the YMCA and CEFA, which operates more than two early learning sites in the Lower Mainland.

“In the coming weeks, the principal from the school that your child(ren) attend,
will provide you with your new monthly tuition. The new tuition amount will
be effective as of December 1, 2022,” a letter sent to parents in September reads in part.

This federal and provincial investment to make
#ChildcareBC more affordable is great news for BC families. Looking forward to seeing this extended to #bced before & afterschool care next September.

Thank you Ministers for joining us in @burnabyschools https://t.co/6le9Dx8hQP pic.twitter.com/FomwNdT8KY

— Jen Mezei (she/her) (@jenmezei) September 23, 2022

The province says it is also making progress to meet its goal of $10-a-day childcare through the introduction of its Affordable Child Care Benefit. “By the end of 2022, there will be 12,500 of these low-cost, high-quality $10-a-day child care spaces throughout B.C., ” the province said Friday.

This story was originally written in September and was updated on December 1.