Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement

As part of British Columbia’s Early Care and Learning Recruitment and Retention Strategy, early childhood educators working in eligible licensed child care centres may be eligible to  receive up to a $6 per hour wage enhancement. The wage enhancement has helped to increase the median wage for early childhood educators.

Additional funding for statutory benefits and premiums is provided at a rate of 19.90% (effective January 1, 2026). Information regarding statutory benefits and premium rates is updated every January.

Participating in the wage enhancement is optional and child care providers can apply at any time. Families and child care staff can contact the ministry for information about a centre’s wage enhancement opt-in status.

On this page

• Eligibility
• Once approved
• Statutory Benefits and Premiums Table 
• Employer Health Tax
• Frequently asked questions

Eligibility

A provider may be eligible to participate in the wage enhancement program if the child care centre is:

• Enrolled in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, or
• Operate as a $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre outside of the Operating Funding Model test

An exception exists for centres that are not enrolled in the fee reduction program and do not charge parent fees. These centres may also be eligible for the wage enhancement program.

For information about when and how to apply, please visit the operating funding web page.

All early childhood educators who hold a valid certificate issued by the Early Childhood Educator Registry and are employed by a licensed child care centre that meets the child care provider requirements are eligible for the wage enhancement. This includes owners or operators of a licensed child care centre, .

Review the full eligibility requirements:

• 2026-27 Wage Enhancement Funding Guidelines (effective April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027)
• 2025-26 Wage Enhancement Funding Guidelines (effective April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026)

Apply or renew

Once approved

Providers approved to participate in the wage enhancement program are required to:

• notify their eligible early childhood educators and collect a written acknowledgement
• distribute the wage enhancement and the applicable funding for statutory benefits to eligible early childhood educators
• remain enrolled for the duration of the funding term, unless approved in writing by the operating funding program to unenroll

Access the following support documents:

• Early childhood educator employee acknowledgement (PDF)
• Owner/Co-Owner Acknowledgement (PDF)
• Early childhood educator notification template (optional template)

Statutory Benefits and Premiums Table

Effective January 1, 2026, the Ministry provides Statutory Benefits and Premiums Funding and the ECE Portion of Statutory Benefits Funding in the total amount of 19.90% for all wage enhancements made as part of the ECE-WE program. This additional funding includes:

• Funding for statutory benefits and premiums to compensate child care providers for the increased payment obligations arising from the ECE-WE
• Funding for child care providers to compensate their ECE Employees for increased vacation and statutory holiday pay resulting from the ECE-WE

The following table sets out the categories and percentages used to calculate the Statutory Benefits and Premiums Funding and the ECE Portion of Statutory Benefits.

Employer Health Tax ​

​The Employer Health Tax  is an annual tax  that applies to employers who pay more than $1,000,000 in wages in B.C. per year or more than $1,500,000 for registered charities and non-profit organizations. Child care providers may be eligible for reimbursement to offset an increase in the tax they pay because of receiving the wage enhancement.

This reimbursement ensures that the amount of health tax paid by providers does not change because they participate in the wage enhancement program.

Organizations who received the wage enhancement in 2024 and are required to pay the health tax are invited to complete the 2024 Employer Health Tax Reimbursement Application by 11:59 PM (PT) on December 30, 2025 to apply for the 2024 tax year.

You will need:

• Primary Business BCeID (this is the most recent username you use to log into the Child Care Web Application each month)
• Child Care Operating Funding Organization ID (this is the first 5 numbers after F or G found in Schedule A of the funding agreement e.g.: G-00000-00000)
• A PDF, scanned copy or photograph of your 2024 BC Ministry of Finance Notice of Assessment issued under the Employer Health Tax Act
• A PDF, scanned copy or photograph of your 2024 Employer Health Tax return from eTaxBC, if you are a charitable or non-profit employer

Frequently asked questions