B.C. licensed child care fees to drop by up to $550/mo by Dec. 1

Child-care fees in British Columbia are set to drop by up to $550 a month starting in December for children in licensed care for those in kindergarten and younger, the B.C. government says.

The province says the reductions will mean families of 96 per cent of children in eligible care, or about 69,000 kids, will automatically receive the lower fees. The government adds the savings for families are on top of earlier reductions of $350 per month for children under three years old in group care, which will cut fees by $900 a month.

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“Child care is one of the biggest bills many families face each month,” said Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen.

“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.”

Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.’s minister of education and child care, says says families with children in kindergarten registered in before- and after-school care will see monthly reductions of $220 on top of earlier cuts of $100.

She says the fee reductions will bring the average daily cost of child care in the province to $21 by the end of the year, down from the average of $53 before the government’s child-care initiatives began in 2018.

Related video: Paying to wait for child care in Metro Vancouver

Whiteside adds reaching $10-a-day child care is underway and will result in the creation of 12,500 spaces for children by Dec. 31.

“These savings are about helping families to get ahead and ensuring families are supported to pursue opportunities,” she said.

The province says it is “directly funded licenced child care centres,” adding this means families won’t have to apply for the savings it is laying out.