PARKSVILLE: NDP MLA Stephanie Higginson says that more families in Oceanside will benefit from $10-a-day child care spaces and funding for new child care centres.

“As we see more and more young families choose Parksville to raise their kids, it’s critical that we move forward with affordable childcare options,” says Stephanie Higginson, MLA for Ladysmith – Oceanside. “I’m thrilled to see so many new $10-a-day childcare spaces in our community, providing families with much-needed relief, and helping them save hundreds of dollars every month while ensuring their children receive quality care.”

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Vancouver Island Child and Family Centre in Parksville will convert 111 spaces to the $10 a Day ChildcareBC program.

As well, SD.69 at Qualicum Beach Elementary is getting 75 new child care spaces through the New Spaces Fund.

Across BC, families will soon be benefiting from 770 new $10-a-day spaces at 22 child care centres. Spaces in the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program reduce the average cost of child care for children ages 5 and under from $1,115 a month for full-time, centre-based care to $200 a month for the same service, saving families an average of approximately $915 a month per child.

More than $62 million is being invested to create more than 750 new licensed child care spaces throughout B.C. through the accelerated space-creation programs. Once operational, these spaces will be eligible for government’s fee reduction program, ensuring that these new spaces will be affordable for families.

These investments represent further progress in partnership with the federal government. The Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement supports the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program, the New Spaces Fund and additional funding through the federal Child Care Infrastructure Fund supports the creation of new child care spaces.

Since 2018, the Province and Government of Canada have invested nearly $8 billion through ChildCareBC to build a future where access to affordable, inclusive, and quality child care is a core service that families can rely on. This has resulted in more than 40,000 new child care spaces funded and more than 16,000 $10-a-day child care spaces throughout B.C.