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Working together to deliver child care and early learning

Last updated on March 5, 2024

The ChildCareBC Vision is for providers and partners of all kinds to work together with government to deliver early learning and child care opportunities in every part of the province, much like they do today.

Five things you need to know about...

The role of schools and districts:

  • Schools and districts are not taking over the management of child care in the province. Existing child care facilities remain independent of schools and districts.
  • Every child care provider is a valued partner in the ChildCareBC plan and we will continue to support providers of all types, in addition to schools and districts.
  • Schools, districts and their partners will be invited and supported to deliver child care on school grounds, including school-aged and birth to five licensed spaces. Early childhood professionals are vital in providing child care services and will not be replaced by K-12 educators.
  • Unless they work at a child care centre directly operated by a school district, early childhood professionals will not be school district employees.
  • School districts are encouraged to help meet the demand for more before- and after-school care, though they are not required to do so under the School Act.

Regional supports:

  • In our recent engagement process, we heard early learning and child care stakeholders share their concerns around establishing regional centres.
  • As a result, we will be working through those concerns to determine the best approach to supporting the sector at a regional level before moving forward.
  • We anticipate that the approach will include partnering with municipalities, schools and districts, child care providers, community organizations, Indigenous communities and organizations, Family Connections Centres and Child Care Resource and Referral Centres to deliver supports at a more local level. 
  • We anticipate new approaches to supporting regions, once final, will be scaled up across the province in a way that respects regional contexts and complexities.
  • More operational details of regional supports will be shared as they are developed.

Engagements

Please visit the Early Learning and Child Care Engagement homepage for information about past engagements and where you can subscribe to be notified of future opportunities.

Frequently asked questions

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Will child care workers be employees of the Ministry of Education and Child Care?

  • No, child care workers will not be employees of the Ministry of Education and Child Care
  • Educators and child care professionals employed by individual child care providers, as well as child care providers, will continue to connect with the province as they currently do related to funding, educator requirements, or professional learning
  • There is no impact to child care providers’ relationships with the ministry – contractual obligations remain the same, as do program contacts
  • The transition of responsibility for child care from MCFD to the Ministry of Education and Child Care is about establishing a single provincial lead for child care policy and program development
  • Government’s role is to support the child care sector, which is made up of individual child care providers, of various types and sizes. Child care providers are responsible for employing the educators that provide child care supports for children and families
 

In child care on school grounds, which party will be the child care licensee?

  • Recent changes to the School Act recognize that school boards can directly operate child care – but do not mean they are required to
  • In some cases the school may hold the license but in others, a community provider may be the licensee
  • Government is taking a flexible approach and no existing programs will be replaced
 

What responsibilities for child care will school boards have?

  • School districts are enabled to directly operate child care but are not required to
  • Neither the ministry or school districts will have any jurisdiction over early learning and child care delivered on-reserve
  • Child care providers will not be governed by school boards, nor will they be responsible for delivering provincial curriculum
  • Government aims to maintain existing programs and no current programs will be replaced