Early learning and child care engagement
B.C. is committed to supporting families and the well-being, care and education of children. We're transforming quality, inclusive child care into a core service available to every family who needs it, at an affordable price.
The vision for child care in British Columbia
- Government is committed to child care as a core service that families can rely on at a cost of $10 a day or less
- Child care in British Columbia will be accessible and inclusive, supporting all families and all children
- Child care in British Columbia will provide families with choice – available on and off school grounds and provided by a mix of not-for-profit, public, private, family, and Indigenous providers
- ChildCareBC is a publicly funded and coordinated system of child care offered by many operators and available in a variety of settings
- There will be increased access to child care that promotes and honours connections to culture and language for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit families
We want to hear from you
As the Province advances its ChildCareBC Plan, the Ministry of Education and Child Care wants to hear from a broad range of child care partners – from child care providers, community service partners, Indigenous governing bodies, parent organizations, school districts and child care advocates. We value your input and would like to know what you think is most critical as we continue to evolve early learning and child care in British Columbia.
Ways to participate
Subscribe (on the top right-hand corner of this page or at the bottom of the page on mobile devices) to be notified of upcoming participation opportunities.
Upcoming Engagements
The ChildCareBC Minister’s Town Hall scheduled for September 26, 2023 has been postponed. Please check back on this page for information on the new date and time.
If you have any questions or suggestions in the interim, please contact ChildCareBC.Engagement@gov.bc.ca.
Engagements to date
In December 2021 we began a series of activities to hear directly from B.C.’s child care partners. Below is a summary of the engagements completed so far.
What was it? The inaugural ChildCareBC Minister's Town Hall invited the child care community to have their questions about the ChildCareBC plan answered directly by the Minister of State for Child Care. This was the first session of its kind and will occur on a regular basis, as part of government’s ongoing efforts to engage meaningfully with the child care sector.
When was it? Tuesday, May 30, 2023
- View the recording of the ChildCareBC Minister's Town Hall
Information Session: 2023/24 Funding Renewal and CCFRI Expansion to Preschool and School Age
What was it? A dedicated webinar for child care providers working with the government to lower child care fees for families, to learn about the 2023/24 funding renewal process for Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF), the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI), and the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE).
This information session included:
- Expanded CCFRI eligibility to children enrolled in half-day preschool programs and children in Grade 1 and older, starting in September 2023
- Key changes to the 2023/24 CCFRI Funding Guidelines
- Demo of an enhanced 2023/24 Program Confirmation Form on a new online platform
When was it? January 23, 2023
- View the recording of the Upcoming Funding Renewal Information Session
- View the Upcoming Funding Renewal Information Session presentation (PDF)
Related program information:
- View the Child Care Operating Funding web page
- View the Apply/Renew web page (will be updated on Jan 25, 2023)
What was it? A dedicated webinar for child care providers working with the government to lower child care fees for families, to learn about new child care savings that come into effect December 1, 2022.
We are cutting child care fees again, so families can save as much as $550 more every month. That’s $6,600 more back in the pockets of parents, every year, for every child they have in licensed care.
When was it? September 23, 2022
- View the full recording of the New Child Care Savings Information Session
- View the New Child Care Savings Information Session presentation (PDF)
Related program information:
What was it? Facilitated webinar for child care operators and ECEs to learn about the B.C. Employer Training Grant (ETG), which supports employers in paying for skills training for their employees.
The ETG program is a great fit for child care operators to access training support for their employees, as priority is given to applications from the early childhood education sector and successful applicants will be reimbursed 80% of eligible training costs.
When was it? August 3, 2022
Due to technical challenges, there is no available recording of the webinar. See the resources below to learn more about the program, including the presentation deck, webinar Q&A and the ETG website:
- View the BC ETG Information Session presentation (PDF)
- View the BC ETG Information Session Q&A (PDF)
Related program information:
- View the BC Employer Training Grant website
- Learn about the BC ETG eligibility criteria
- For further inquiries, please contact the ETG program: ETG@gov.bc.ca
What was it? Facilitated webinar for child care operators, ECEs and the overall child care sector on recruitment and retention opportunities through the BC Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) with additional presentations on Immigration Programs and Resources for Employers from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and on ECE Certification from the ECE Registry.
When was it? June 15, 2022
- View the full recording of the BC PNP Information Session
- View the BC PNP Information Session presentation (PDF)
- View the Immigration Programs and Resources for Employers presentation (PDF)
- View the ECE Certification Presentation (PDF)
Related program information:
What was it? Facilitated webinar for education and child care partners with information sharing, panel discussion, Q&A session, and electronic input into future sessions.
When was it? December 1, 2021
View the full recording of the ChildCareBC Information Session
View the ChildCareBC Information Session presentation (PDF)
View the full ChildCareBC Information Session transcript (PDF)
Information session video clips by topic:
- Working together to deliver child care and early learning
- Making child care culturally safe and inclusive of all children
- Funding child care as a core service families can rely on
- Supporting early childhood professionals who support families
- Creating more child care spaces
- Question and Answer Panel Discussion
Detailed information and FAQs by topic:
What was it? An opportunity for early learning and child care partners to provide self-paced feedback on a range of topics in a way that works best for their busy schedules.
When was it? The form was available from December 2, 2021 to March 17, 2022
What was it? A series of interactive, facilitated sessions focused on a single topic, where partners provided feedback on questions using an interactive whiteboard, chat features and live discussions.
When was it? Ten focus groups, two per topic, occurred between March 1-16, 2022.
Indigenous engagement sessions
Ongoing engagement with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples is key to supporting early learning and child care priorities for Indigenous children and their families and to meet the Province’s commitments to lasting and meaningful reconciliation.
The ministry is hosting a series of webinars to continue important dialogue with Indigenous Peoples on early learning and child care.
What we do with the feedback you provide
We value your input. Feedback collected throughout this engagement will be used to support decision-making on the future of early learning and child care in B.C. Any follow-up information, including summaries and results of consultation, will be shared on this page.
I have questions
Email us: Childcarebc.engagement@gov.bc.ca
