Ella Dalling has been waiting for a daycare spot for her nine-month-old daughter Murph since early in her pregnancy. Despite applying to about 20 daycares in Vancouver, she has not received any responses. The lack of fee caps in British Columbia means daycare costs can vary widely, ranging from $200 to $2,000 per month. Dalling emphasized that securing a spot is the priority over the cost.
To address the challenges faced by parents in finding daycare spots, Dalling launched an online platform called Little Scout. This platform allows daycares to post available spots, helping parents locate nearby options. Through her business, Dalling has interacted with parents and daycare operators across the province who agree that the current system requires improvements.
A recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives highlights that British Columbia lags behind other provinces in providing affordable universal child care. The child-care system in the province consists of a mix of private and non-profit providers, some of which receive significant government subsidies, while others charge full rates.
David Macdonald, a co-author of the report, pointed out the complexity of determining child-care costs in British Columbia, leaving parents uncertain about expenses. Despite some savings resulting from a child-care funding agreement with the federal government in 2021, B.C. parents are still spending more compared to provinces with fee caps.
Only six provinces and territories, including Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, have capped child-care fees at $10 a day. In contrast, British Columbia faces some of the highest child-care costs among Canadian cities, with rates ranging from $28 to $52 per day for infants. The $10-a-day Child Care Campaign expressed disappointment in the B.C. government’s lack of progress on implementing affordable child care, labeling the province as a “laggard.”
Minister Lisa Beare, responsible for Education and Child Care, acknowledged concerns about inequities in the $10-a-day program and announced a three-year pause on its expansion to address structural issues. The government aims to collaborate with families, providers, Indigenous partners, and the federal government to develop a more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable child-care system for the future.
