Opinion: Affordability is far out of reach without accessible child care in BC

Pre-school children cross the street in Chilliwack, BC. (Eric Buermeyer/Shutterstock)

Written for Daily Hive Urbanized by Sharon Gregson, who is the provincial spokesperson for the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC, and Liz Lougheed Green, the CEO of the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of BC, a member of BC’s 33 Neighbourhood Houses.

Two weeks into the election, we’ve heard many promises to make life more affordable for people in British Columbia. As soaring worldwide inflation makes it harder for families to make ends meet, it’s time to talk about child care — something that profoundly impacts the financial security of thousands of families in BC.

Nearly everyone agrees: we urgently need more $10aDay child care spaces in BC. A Research Co. poll commissioned by the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC from March of this year found that 80% of British Columbians agree it is important for the provincial government to deliver on plans to “build a quality, flexible $10aDay child care system that’s accessible to families across BC.”

It’s important to know that BC’s three main political parties are focusing on $10aDay child care in their election proposals to expand access and affordability. Expansion is critical, with just 10% of all licensed spaces in BC currently offered at $10aDay and enough licensed spaces overall for about 25% of children up to age 12.

“We’ve seen the enormous relief that $10aDay spaces provide for families lucky enough to get them. It can be life-changing,“ shared Nilda Borrino, executive director of Marpole Neighbourhood House. “At the same time, the lack of adequate public funding to fairly compensate educators has created instability. And, we need to address expansion and inequity for families when only some programs are $10aDay.”

Almost all other licensed child care programs in BC (134,000 spaces) receive direct operating funding which allows them to reduce parent fees by up to $900 each month. But waitlists remain too long across the province. If you’re Indigenous, there are additional barriers related to accessing culturally safe child care.

So, where does that leave us?

With an important election decision about whether to move forward with the plan to achieve a high-quality, accessible $10aDay system where qualified educators are fairly compensated, or return to failed policies of the past, moving forward allows us to apply lessons learned to provide even more quality, affordable child care.

Just as solving the healthcare crisis requires more nurses and doctors, solutions for child care must include a well-funded strategy to recruit and support more early childhood educators in the profession. Or, as former cabinet minister Michelle Mungall recently put it in the Vancouver Sun, we need to “elevate the profession to ensure that it provides family-supporting jobs for those supporting our families.”

There is enthusiastic public support for this, too. Three quarters (76%) agreed BC “should move more quickly” to achieve the intertwined goals of creating more $10aDay spaces and providing “better wages and education for those working in child care settings” — a solid foundation for a winning child care strategy.

Right now, most early childhood educators in BC receive a publicly funded $6/hour wage enhancement, which has helped stabilize the sector. But what’s really needed is a province-wide wage grid — which the NDP government has already committed to developing and implementing — to recruit and retain qualified educators.

In the Sun article, Mungall rightly pointed out “that it is mostly women in these [child care] jobs,” making the connection that jobs historically held by women are under-valued. It is also mostly women who are held back in achieving financial independence by the lack of child care. Barriers increase for single parents and parents living with low incomes, those who need non-standard hours of care, for families living with disabilities or outside of population centres, and are compounded for Indigenous families.

“Caring for our children is an investment in the overall health, resilience and future of our community. We know that every child and community member brings unique gifts to benefit the whole community.” shared Norm Leech, co-chair of Metro Vancouver Aboriginal Executive Council, reminding us that providing accessible, culturally safe child care enriches whole communities, not just families. Something he sees every day in his role as executive director of Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House.

Any earnest promise to tackle affordability in this province must include a realistic and costed plan to close the gap in accessible, affordable child care, with a commitment to speed up and improve progress.

At this point, the solutions are obvious: a wage grid for educators, expanding $10aDay programs to meet the needs of families in all their diversities, using all schools for school-age child care, and a capital budget for massive expansion.

Let’s continue to ensure progress on building a quality $10aDay child care system that today’s and tomorrow’s families and educators can count on.

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