Making child care culturally safe and inclusive of all children

The ChildCareBC Vision is for all parents to experience child care and early learning as culturally safe and respectful. For children of all backgrounds and abilities to get the best start on their early learning journey and for child care providers and professionals to be supported and trained to offer services to all families, regardless of background or ability.

Five things you need to know about...

Culturally safe and distinctions-based child care:

• Plans are underway for Government to engage with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people to develop a path forward to distinctions-based child care to meet their unique needs and to enhance cultural safety for Indigenous children within the broader system of child care.
• Costs associated with supporting cultural safety in all child care facilities will be a part of the future operating funding model.
• Working closely with key partners who are directly linked to First Nations, Métis and Inuit people and organizations is important to improving access to ChildCareBC initiatives.
• Government has committed to increasing the number of Indigenous-led child care by investing in the creation of new child care spaces for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in 2022-23.
• Government continues to learn from and invest in the Aboriginal Head Start program as a model of Indigenous-led child care providing quality, culturally based no-fee child care with wrap-around supports for Indigenous families.

Inclusive child care:

• Government is investing in building capacity for inclusive child care, through the development of resources and training for child care providers. 
• Government is increasing investments in Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Child Development programs, enabling more children to access inclusive child care.
• Government has paused on the provincial roll-out of Family Connections Centres to allow for more in-depth engagement with all partners and to evaluate the new service approach. Transition will continue as planned at pilots of the Family Connection Centre model in Kelowna, Smithers, Prince Rupert, and Terrace in 2023. In these four pilot sites, Supported Child Development (SCD) services will be referred to as Inclusive Child Care Supports.
• Engagement with those representing racialized peoples, children with support needs, and populations experiencing vulnerability is necessary. Conversations have begun and will continue throughout this process.
• Government is considering how to improve equity of access and inclusion in the future of child care. This work will help guide the development of an approach that is inclusive of all children.

Engagements

Frequently asked questions