Child Care - A Call to Restore and Build

In spite of over $4 billion in provincial surpluses, the BC government has cut over $40 million from BC’s already under-funded and fragile child care services.

Reductions will be phased in between April and October 2007, and include:
     - A 27% cut in Child Care Operating Funding for children from
        birth to 6 years of age, in licensed group and family child care 
     - Closure of all Child Care Resource and Referral Programs
        (CCRR’s), which provide parent information about child care options
        in communities, assist parents to apply for Child Care Subsidies,
        recruit family child care providers, and support quality in child care
        services
     - A “freeze” on major child care capital funding – for a “saving” of
        $7 million
     - A “cap” on access to Child Care Operating Funds for most new
        child care spaces.

The impacts to children, families and communities will be:
     - Parent fees will go up to cover the cuts to Operating Funds, and
        quality child care will not be affordable for many more BC families
     - Fewer children from low income families will be in licensed
        care, as their parents are left to struggle on their won with the
        difficult child care subsidy application process
     - Wait lists will grow and more children will be in care of questionable
        quality, as the development of new licensed spaces is capped
     - Quality care will be eroded, because Child Care Resource and
        Referral Programs will disappear and caregivers will no longer have
        access to training, toy/equipment lending libraries, and other
        supports.

We encourage families to send the following messages to our BC government:
     - Commit remaining 2006/07 federal child care dollars
        (around $127 million) to the Child Care Operating Funding
        Program -- to lower fees, raise wages and improve quality
     - Commit now to maintaining current child care funding in
        BC’s 2007/08 budget
     - Make child care system building the next “major provincial project”.

BC has the money now and in the future to sustain and increase
child care funding to build a child care system. There is no excuse
for cuts to this funding.

For more information and updates, click here.