Ella Dalling has been on the waitlists of daycare centers in Vancouver for her nine-month-old daughter Murph since she was pregnant. Despite applying to around 20 places, she has not received any responses. The absence of fee limits in British Columbia leads to daycare costs ranging from $200 to $2,000 monthly. Dalling emphasized the necessity of securing a spot over cost concerns.
To address the daycare availability challenge, Dalling established an online platform called Little Scout. This platform enables daycares to advertise open spots and assists parents in locating nearby options. Through interactions with families and child-care providers in British Columbia, she has recognized the need for system enhancements.
A recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives highlighted British Columbia’s lag in providing universal affordable child care compared to other provinces. The province’s child-care landscape comprises a mix of private and non-profit operators with varying subsidy levels and pricing structures. David Macdonald, a co-author of the report, highlighted the complexity of determining child-care costs in British Columbia.
The report indicated that infant care fees in British Columbia cities are among the highest in Canada, ranging from a median of $28 per day in Kelowna to $52 per day in Richmond. While parents in British Columbia have experienced some savings following a funding agreement with Ottawa in 2021, the report emphasized that provinces with fee caps offer more substantial savings.
Despite being an early advocate for $10-a-day universal child care, British Columbia has faced criticism for its current progress. Six provinces and territories have successfully capped child-care fees at $10 a day, whereas British Columbia’s efforts have reportedly stalled. Sharon Gregson, a representative of the $10-a-day Child Care Campaign, expressed concern over British Columbia’s inability to match the achievements of other provinces in child-care affordability.
Education and Child Care Minister Lisa Beare, who was not available for an interview, acknowledged structural issues in the $10-a-day program. She highlighted concerns regarding inequities stemming from a lottery-based rather than need-based approach. Consequently, the British Columbia government has halted the expansion of the $10-a-day child-care program to collaboratively design a more inclusive and sustainable child-care system for the future.