More than 700 childcare places join $10-a-day program in B.C.

The province says more than 725 childcare places are being brought under its $10 a Day ChildCareBC program next month, bringing the total to well over 12,000 places.

In a statement Monday, B.C. says the new $10-a-day places are opening up at 12 child care centres throughout the province, where families child care bills will now be $200 per month, instead of the previous $1,000 for full-time care.

“The recent child care fee reductions and the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program are some of the ways we are making child care more affordable and allowing parents – especially mothers – to pursue opportunities and achieve financial independence and security, which benefits families, our communities and the economy as a whole,” Grace Lore, B.C. minister of state for child care, said.

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The government says all kinds of licensed childcare providers have been able to apply for the $10-a-day funding, however, priority has been given to larger non-profit, publicly run and Indigenous-led providers.

The expansion of the subsidized program comes from a partnership between the federal and provincial governments, which the province says has the goal of “ensuring access” to affordable and inclusive early learning and child care.

“Our governments are making access to affordable, high-quality, flexible and inclusive child care a reality,” Karina Gould, federal minister of families, children and social development, said. “Through our transformative investments, we remain focused on making life more affordable for families and giving every child the best possible start in life.”