木瓜直播

Media Release March 6, 2025
Child Care Organizations Celebrate $5.38B in Federal Funding Confirmed for B.C.

Advocates and professionals in the sector are breathing a sigh of relief to get some good news while simultaneously acknowledging disappointment that child care was notably absent from BC Budget 2025 priorities.

The Prime Minister announced on March 6th that the Government of British Columbia is one of 11 provinces and territories that signed on to a renewed Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement which will provide funding for the next five years (2026-2031). B.C.’s share of this Made-in Canada Agreement is $5.38 billion to continue building the $10aDay child care system families and the economy desperately needs.

British Columbia was the first province to sign the original 5-year CWELCC Agreement in 2021 and it was agreed then that building a quality, sustainable system takes time. “With progress stalled by the B.C. government these additional years of confirmed federal funding should support the province to deliver on its long-standing commitment to a universal quality $10aDay system” said Sharon Gregson, spokesperson for the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC.

“The extension of the Canada-wide ELCC plan is a crucial step in building a strong, accessible, and affordable child care system,” said Emily Mlieczko, executive director of ECEBC. “This renewed agreement will help ensure that B.C. delivers on its existing commitment to develop and implement a fair wage grid for Early Childhood Educators.”

To be clear, federal funding does not replace the need for a provincial contribution. The B.C. government made a commitment to build a quality universal $10aDay child care system years before the federal government came to the table. While we’ve seen a growing commitment from the Government of Canada since 2021, unfortunately there’s also been a recent retreat from the Government of British Columbia.

As COVID so clearly reminded us - in times of uncertainties, investment in equitable access to high quality child care is vital for our economy and the well-being of children, families and communities.

We look forward to continuing to work with government to expand $10aDay to all licensed programs, to create more quality programs for children, and to implement a fair wage grid for educators.

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Emily Mlieczko, 木瓜直播

Sharon Gregson, Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC