Childcare in B.C. becomes focus for parents as work-from-home rules ease

As COVID-19 restrictions loosen across B.C., many parents heading back to the office are on the lookout for childcare options.

Sharon Gregson, a spokesperson with the Coalition Child Care Advocates of B.C., says some parents won’t be able to find what they are looking for.

“We are so far from having a system that meets the needs of parents that the pandemic has just made things even worse … what childcare we do have, does not have the flexibility for families,” she explained.

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Once again, parents will need to adapt to the changes of returning to the office, Gregson says, so some might be looking for a hybrid return.

She adds the province will be taking a significant step in the right direction this year with the help of the federally funded $3.2-billion for the childcare system.

“We’re going to see big improvements in childcare because of this new federal money.”

On Tuesday, the province will be presenting its budget and Gregson says she is looking forward to seeing how B.C. has been spending its federal money.

“If they’re living up to their deliverables [and] if they’re putting in some of their own money for school-aged care. Because the federal money is only good for childcare for children, zero to five,” she said. “It’s the province that has to deliver on school-aged childcare before and after school care.”

Under the early learning and childcare agreement, the federal and provincial governments will be working to improve access to quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive early learning and childcare programs and services.

“British Columbia and Canada agree on the goal of $10 a day childcare, and will work together towards achieving an average parent fee of $10 per day for all regulated childcare spaces for children under 6 by the end of the five-year agreement. By the end of 2022, British Columbians will see a 50 per cent reduction in average parent fees for children under the age of 6 in regulated childcare,” a statement from the federal goverment reads.

“This agreement will lead to the creation of 30,000 new regulated early learning and childcare spaces for children under the age of 6 within five years, and 40,000 spaces within seven years. These spaces will be focused on community investments that are long-term and run by public and non-profit institutions.”