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Child Care

Policy Primer

Written By Northern Beat Staff
Published

Nailing down policy platforms in the midst of an election is an elusive endeavour as parties develop existing policies and announce new promises every day. We’ll do our best to post significant changes as new information becomes available.

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Here are the key points about what David Eby has said regarding child care in British Columbia:

BC NDP government response

  1. Average Cost Reduction: Average cost of child care has dropped from around $50 per day to an average of $18 per day since his party took power in 2017.
  2. Goal for Affordable Child Care: Government’s goal is for every parent to have access to affordable and accessible child care.
  3. 10-Year Plan: In the 2017 election, former Premier John Horgan promised to build out $10 per day childcare for British Columbians.
  4. Ongoing Work: Eby stated, “This isn’t going to happen overnight,” describing it as “building the first new major social program in a generation in British Columbia.”
  5. Current Progress: Some sources say[1] currently, there are 140,000 licensed child care spots in B.C., with 14,000 of them (10 per cent) operating at $10 per day.
  6. Continued Investment: Eby’s government has stated they are “determined to keep driving costs down and opening more spaces.”

Critics charge implementation of the $10-a-day program has been slow with limited availability.

Citations:
[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/what-is-the-average-cost-of-child-care-in-b-c-1.7138708
[2] https://www.vicnews.com/local-news/3-bc-districts-getting-child-care-integrated-in-schools-7358765
[3] https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024PREM0024-000744
[4] https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/bc-united-promises-daycare-cash-for-eligible-families-7373134
[5] https://www.trailtimes.ca/news/bc-united-promises-daycare-cash-for-eligible-families-7373134
[6] https://www.theorca.ca/commentary/rob-shaw-bc-united-pitches-cash-subsidies-as-10-child-care-remains-elusive-9023405
[7] https://www.biv.com/news/commentary/rob-shaw-ndp-trumpets-child-care-win-while-ottawa-foots-most-of-the-bill-9327369
[8] https://www.vicnews.com/home2/standing-for-the-average-person-rustad-lays-out-bc-conservative-policy-7398383

BC Conservative policy

John Rustad, leader of the BC Conservative Party, has expressed skepticism about the feasibility of universal $10-a-day childcare[1]. Instead, he advocates for empowering the private sector to provide childcare solutions. Rustad stated, “So I think you need to be innovative with childcare. Particularly, we need to empower the private sector.”[1]

Policy Still in Development

Rustad has acknowledged that his party’s childcare policy is still being developed. He indicated that they aim to be “very innovative” in their approach to childcare[1].

Criticism from Opponents

The NDP government has criticized Rustad’s past record on childcare. Minister of State for Child Care Mitzi Dean claimed, “When Kevin Falcon and John Rustad had the chance, they slashed child care subsidies.”[2][3] This criticism was made in response to a BC United policy announcement, not to a direct statement from Rustad.

Contrast with NDP Approach

While the NDP emphasizes government-led initiatives, Rustad seems to favor more private sector involvement[1][4].

Rustad’s full childcare policy has not been fully articulated. His comments so far suggest a preference for market-based solutions and innovation in childcare provision, but specific details of his proposed policies are not yet clear.

Citations:
[1] https://www.vicnews.com/home2/standing-for-the-average-person-rustad-lays-out-bc-conservative-policy-7398383
[2] https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/bc-united-promises-daycare-cash-for-eligible-families-7373134
[3] https://www.trailtimes.ca/news/bc-united-promises-daycare-cash-for-eligible-families-7373134
[4] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/john-rustad-aug-29-2024-1.7308504
[5] https://www.biv.com/news/commentary/rob-shaw-ndp-trumpets-child-care-win-while-ottawa-foots-most-of-the-bill-9327369
[6] https://www.theorca.ca/commentary/rob-shaw-bc-united-pitches-cash-subsidies-as-10-child-care-remains-elusive-9023405
[7] https://ourladyoftheassumptionparish.ca/2024/06/07/ans-pro/97467UhMD25UsL11kOs/

Known Challenges

There are significant challenges in achieving the $10-a-day child care promise in British Columbia:

  1. Limited availability of spaces: Only about 10 per cent of child care spaces in B.C. are currently true $10-a-day spots. The government has struggled to expand the program to meet demand.
  2. Slow implementation: Despite promises made in 2017, the NDP government has been slow to roll out the program widely.
  3. Workforce shortages: There is a lack of early childhood educators and child care workers needed to staff new spaces and facilities.
  4. Infrastructure limitations: Building new child care facilities and expanding existing ones has been challenging and time-consuming.
  5. Funding issues: While the federal government is providing significant funding, the province has been criticized for not contributing enough of its own money to expand the program faster.
  6. Complexity of the system: The current child care system involves a complicated web of income-based benefits, fee reductions, and applications that can be difficult for families to navigate.
  7. Balancing public and private providers: There are challenges in integrating private child care operators into the $10-a-day system while expanding public and non-profit spaces.
  8. Geographic disparities: Some areas, particularly rural and remote communities, face greater challenges in accessing affordable child care.
  9. Meeting diverse needs: Providing adequate spaces for children with special needs and accommodating families with non-standard work hours remains difficult.
  10. Political and policy shifts: Changes in government priorities and approaches to child care policy have impacted the consistent implementation of the program.

These challenges highlight the complexity of implementing a universal, affordable child care system and explain why the full realization of the $10-a-day promise has been slower than initially anticipated.

Citations:
[1] https://irpp.org/research-studies/early-learning-and-child-care-in-canada/
[2] https://www.theorca.ca/commentary/rob-shaw-bc-united-pitches-cash-subsidies-as-10-child-care-remains-elusive-9023405
[3] https://globalnews.ca/news/10178048/10-dollar-child-care-bc-report/
[4] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/what-is-the-average-cost-of-child-care-in-b-c-1.7138708
[5] https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/bc-united-promises-daycare-cash-for-eligible-families-7373134
[6] https://www.trailtimes.ca/news/bc-united-promises-daycare-cash-for-eligible-families-7373134
[7] https://childcarecanada.org/documents/child-care-news/23/11/heres-how-canada-doing-its-10-day-child-care-promise-report
[8] https://www.biv.com/news/commentary/rob-shaw-ndp-trumpets-child-care-win-while-ottawa-foots-most-of-the-bill-9327369

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