More BC families are saving hundreds on childcare this school year
Here’s some good news for parents of young children preparing for the new school year: As of September, more families will be eligible to save up to $145 a month per child thanks to the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative.
The initiative, which has existed since 2018, is being updated as it was previously only available to families with children in licensed childcare programs who were kindergarten-aged and under.
Starting next month, fee reductions will be available “at all participating funded licensed childcare facilities, including school-age and half-day preschool programs,” the province explains.
This means the eligibility is expanded for preschool and children in grades 1 and up.
Fee reductions are based on the child’s age and the type of care they are receiving. The amount families pay will also depend on the fees charged by their provider after the fee reductions are applied.
“Until now, the fee reductions were available to families with children in licensed childcare programs kindergarten-aged and under (representing roughly 70,000 childcare spaces),” a document from the province reads.
“Approximately 93% of childcare facilities, representing 95% of these childcare spaces, participate in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative.”
You can find a list of childcare centres working with the government to lower childcare fees for families here.
Fee reductions are available at facilities that run throughout the summer at participating licensed childcare providers. However, the province warns some programs like summer camps or childcare needed only for drop-in or on a short-term basis may not be eligible.
“This new fee reduction is in addition to the fee cut of as much as $900 per month per child that families with children kindergarten-aged and younger have been benefiting from since December 2022,” the province told Daily Hive in an email.