Ella Dalling has been on daycare waitlists for her nine-month-old daughter Murph since early in her pregnancy. Despite applying to around 20 daycares across Vancouver, she has not received any responses. Dalling emphasized the limited options available to parents, who must either wait indefinitely or actively reach out to daycare facilities. The absence of fee regulations in British Columbia leads to a wide range of daycare costs, varying between $200 and $2,000 per month.
In response to the challenges faced by parents, Dalling has created an online platform called Little Scout. This platform allows daycares to advertise open spots, helping parents locate available options in their vicinity. Through interactions with families and child-care providers across the province, Dalling has identified a pressing need for improvements in the current daycare system.
A recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives highlights the inadequacies of British Columbia’s child-care system compared to other provinces in terms of affordability and accessibility. The province’s child-care landscape consists of a mix of private and non-profit operators, some of which receive substantial government subsidies while others charge full fees.
David Macdonald, a co-author of the report, emphasized the complexity of determining child-care costs in British Columbia. Despite recent cost-saving measures resulting from a funding agreement with the federal government, B.C. parents are reportedly saving only $300 to $500 per month, significantly less than parents in provinces with fee caps.
Among the provinces and territories surveyed, British Columbia stands out for having the highest daycare fees, ranging from a median of $28 per day in Kelowna to $52 per day in Richmond for infant care. While six provinces and territories have successfully implemented fee caps at $10 a day, British Columbia has lagged behind in fulfilling its commitment to universal $10-a-day child care.
Sharon Gregson, a spokesperson for the $10-a-day Child Care Campaign, criticized the B.C. government for stalling on child-care reform, noting that the province falls behind in comparison to other jurisdictions. The concerns surrounding the $10-a-day program have led to a three-year halt in its expansion, with the government aiming to collaborate with stakeholders to develop a more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable child-care system for the future.
