By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle

Oliver will be getting $10 a day childcare for 78 spaces as the province rolls out a shift of more than 930 spaces into the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program.

Tuc El Nuit Childcare Centre operated by OneSky Community Resources Society in Oliver will be part of the programme along with Little People’s Centre operated by Sunshine Valley Child Care Society in Grand Forks which will offer 36 spaces.

Spaces in the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program reduce the average cost of child care from $1,120 a month at participating facilities (for full-time, centre-based infant care) to $200 a month, saving families approximately $920 a month per child on average, the province said.

This intake into the program focussed on areas that did not yet have $10 a Day spaces, or that had a low number compared with the population to best ensure families in more regions could access this program, the province said.

“Childcare can be a significant expense for families with young children across the region”, says Roly Russell, New Democrat MLA for Boundary-Similkameen.

“Provincial funding for new spaces in Grand Forks and Oliver means more $10 a day spaces so more parents will save money on childcare, leaving more in their pockets to spend for their families, and opening up more opportunities for more parents or caregivers.”

These newly converted spaces offered at 27 additional childcare centres throughout the province bring BC’s total childcare spaces to more than 15,300 spaces, surpassing the government’s goal of 15,000 spaces. The province says the sector is on track to achieve the next goal of 20,000 spaces by spring 2026.

“The $10-a-day savings have allowed us to plan for the future with less stress knowing that our childcare fees will not be increasing like all the other costs of living,” said Sarah Mara, mother of one in child care.

“It also takes the pressure of providing child care of our aging parents so that they can focus on their well-being,” she added.

The province notes that expansion of the program represents further progress in partnership with the federal government under the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

The aim of the partnership is to support the goal of ensuring families can access high-quality, affordable and inclusive early learning and child care.

Additionally, through BC’s child care affordability programs, both levels of government have brought the average daily cost of child care, for children aged five and under, down to $19 from $54, the average daily cost before reductions.

An average of 35,000 children per month receive support through the Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB), an income-tested provincial program providing as much as $1,250 per month, per child, to help an average of eligible low- and middle-income families with their child care costs.

The Province says more than 16,000 childcare spaces out of more than 34,000 new licensed spaces it has funded are now open for children.

Parents are also reminded that effective Monday, April 1, 2024, families can no longer be charged a fee to put their name on a waitlist at licensed childcare centres.