ChildCareBC Bulletin archive

Last updated on April 4, 2024

Edition 81, March 20, 2024

Important timelines - 2024-25 Child Care Operating Funding renewal

As of February 21, 2024-25 Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) agreements are available for providers to review. To ensure full approval, providers must agree to the terms and conditions of the 2024-25 Funding Agreement by completing the declaration section of their program confirmation form. As noted in previous communications with providers, this step needed to be completed and submitted by March 5, 2024, for providers wishing to claim for April payments starting March 15.

As in previous years, providers with fee increases requested for April 2024 that are above the 3% fee increase limit cannot be offered temporary approval.

However, providers requesting an April fee increase can defer their scheduled increase to May 2024 or later, or change their proposed increase to under 3%, in order to ensure families can continue to receive fee reduction savings. To submit a revised fee increase request, contact the CCOF Program Contact Centre at 1-888-338-6622 (Option 2).

As a reminder, providers who have requested a fee increase at 3% of the regional median or under and who submit complete applications and agreed to the terms of the funding agreement will receive an automatic approval notification for the 2024-25 year within a few business days.

Providers who have approvals and have pre-claimed for April 2024 will start to receive program funding on April 1, 2024 – the start of the 2024-25 funding term. Providers will have until April 30, 2024, to renew their funding and receive payments for April.

Providers can check for the most up-to-date status of their Child Care Operating Funding renewal using My ChildCareBC Services.

As a reminder, participating child care providers can no longer charge waitlist and waitlist-related fees starting April 1, 2024.

Early childhood educator wage enhancement

Eligible renewing providers requesting to participate in the early childhood educator wage enhancement (ECE-WE) will receive written approval from the ministry.

Those approved to participate may submit monthly early childhood educator (ECE) enrolment reports starting the first day of the month, immediately following the applicable reporting month. For example, for April 2024, approved providers may submit their monthly ECE reports through the ECE reporting tool starting May 1.

Payments are calculated based on the total number of hours worked each month, which is why ECE-WE is reported and paid after the end of each month.

Child Care Operating Funding during emergency closures

To support child care providers during emergencies, as of April 1, 2024, Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) base funding may be paid when a facility is temporarily closed due to an emergency.

Eligible circumstances, at the ministry’s discretion, include unplanned closures due to state of emergencies, evacuation orders or similar restrictions issued by a First Nation, provincial, federal, municipal government or health authority; natural disasters; and other external circumstances outside the provider’s control. Emergencies that were preventable or originated within the facility, and permanent closures are not eligible.

To ensure consistent fee reductions for parents, closures outside of the provider’s control may also be eligible for Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative funding if the facility needs to collect parent fees. Early childhood educator wage enhancement funding is also available during periods of unplanned temporary closure if the provider continues to pay staff wages.

To report an emergency closure and request funding, please email CCOF@gov.bc.ca. Include the facility name, facility ID (Ex: F/G-XXXXX- XXXXX), closure date, (expected) reopen date, reasons for closure, and the type of funding being requested. The ministry will review and advise of next steps.

Changes to Child Care Resource and Referral Centres in B.C.

Child Care Resource and Referral Centres (CCRRs) provide important support to families, child care providers and the child care workforce.

In November 2023, the ministry issued a request for applications to current and prospective CCRR service providers. All applicants, including existing service providers and prospective service providers, were provided the opportunity to bid on service contracts.

The general solicitation for new CCRR service providers is now complete, with all applicants being informed of the outcomes. As part of the competitive application process, the ministry is now in the final stage of awarding CCRR contracts to successful applicants throughout the province.

Once contracts are final, the ministry will inform the child care sector and community of any CCRR changes. This procurement process will not interfere with or reduce service levels beyond a short interim start-up period for communities with new CCRR service providers.

As of April 1, 2024, service areas will be aligned with school district areas to foster collaboration between the child care sector and their school district partners. While some service providers may change, the services themselves will continue to be offered in the regions and, through a $6.3-million funding lift, government is expecting to see more physical locations.

The ministry would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have participated in this process, and we look forward to working with both new and existing CCRR service providers in the years to come.

Update on the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program and operating funding model

The $10 a Day ChildCareBC program continues to be part of the ChildCareBC Plan, delivering on government's commitment to affordable child care that families can rely on. As mentioned by Premier David Eby on March 10, 2024, the average cost of child care has dropped from around $50 per day to an average of $18 per day, which reflects considerable progress on the path to $10 a day.

The $10 a Day ChildCareBC program will continue to expand, with a goal of reaching 20,000 $10 a Day spaces by March 31, 2026. In addition, B.C. launched the first phase of a test of the new Operating Funding Model (OFM) in December 2023. As we learn throughout the test phase, we will continue to refine the OFM so that it can become the primary means of funding $10 a Day child care and child care as a core service.

Ongoing testing of the new OFM and experience with $10 a Day intakes will inform and guide our learning. As soon as details have been finalized, we will provide you with more information both through the ChildCareBC Bulletin, and on our website. We appreciate the dedication of all child care professionals and providers throughout the sector in our province as we continue to increase access to, affordable, quality and inclusive child care for B.C. families.

Reminder: Grants available to help international and francophone early childhood educators join B.C.’s child care sector

Early childhood educators (ECEs) with education completed in languages other than English can apply for a grant of up to $2,500 at the same time as they apply for their ECE certification with the Province’s ECE Registry. These grants can be used to have required documents such as school transcripts and course descriptions translated into English.

Funding is available for approximately 300 prospective ECEs with education completed internationally, or through francophone programs in Canada. This support is significant given that translation services have an average cost of around $5,000 per applicant.

Applications for this translation grants is now open, and more information can be found at the internationally educated applicants and francophone-educated Canadians pages of the ECE Registry’s website.

Reminder: Survey on accessing early childhood educator training programs is closing soon

As mentioned in the last edition of the ChildCareBC Bulletin, the Ministry of Education and Child Care wants to hear from past, present and prospective early childhood educator (ECE) students, as well as practicum student mentors, to better understand their needs, barriers and success in accessing recognized post-secondary ECE programming.

As this survey closes tonight, we invite all those who have not already participated to complete the survey today and have their voices heard.

Information from this survey will provide the ministry with valuable feedback on access to provincially recognized post-secondary ECE programming and where it could be improved. We encourage you to share this information with anyone who attended or graduated within the past five years and may be interested in participating.

This survey is on behalf of the ECE Registry, which is the legislated authority responsible for the assessment and recognition of post-secondary early childhood education programs in British Columbia. It will take approximately 10-15 minutes to fill out the survey and it must be done by 4:00 pm today, Wednesday, March 20.

Edition 80, March 6, 2024

A message from Minister of State Mitzi Dean

Dear Child Care and early learning Partners:

As you know, in January, Premier David Eby announced changes to his cabinet, including my new appointment to the role of Minister of State for Child Care.

I join my predecessor, Minister Lore in saying thank you to each one of you for your unwavering commitment and dedication to child care. I look forward to continuing this important work ahead as we make quality, affordable, accessible and inclusive child care a reality for B.C. families.

I come to you from the Ministry of Children and Family Development, where I had the great honour to support the transition of young people leaving the care system, supporting Indigenous jurisdiction, and increasing payments to those who care for children and youth. I was also previously the Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, where I worked across government to ensure gender equity is reflected in government budgets, policies, and programs.

In both these roles I saw firsthand how access to child care changed the lives of families and women across B.C. That built on my experience of being responsible for a child care centre in a high school in the West Shore of Vancouver Island. This service was designed for young parents to complete their education and also served the school community. I also gained a lot of knowledge of the child care system when I was executive director of Pacific Centre Family Services Association, where we ran child care services for families in the Colwood community.

I would like to recognize the outgoing Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore for her dedication and tireless work over the past year. Under her leadership we have made great strides in developing child care as a core service in B.C., including increased wages for early childhood educators and expanded child care savings for families with preschool and school-aged children. I wish Minister Lore all the best in her new role.

I am excited to build connections and have conversations with sector partners, providers, and early childhood professionals in the months ahead.

Sincerely,

Mitzi Dean
Minister of State for Child Care

Check immunization records before spring break travel

With measles outbreaks being reported internationally and spring break on the horizon, government is raising public awareness about the importance of people in B.C. checking their immunization records before travelling. People should ensure they and their children are protected, that their records are updated and seek information from their local public health office on getting immunized.

In B.C., the measles vaccine is given as a series of two doses. The first dose is given as the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at a child's first birthday and the second dose is given around the time of starting school (kindergarten) as the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine.

Outside of B.C., nine measles cases have been reported in Canada so far in 2024 as of February 29.

Survey: Accessing early childhood educator training programs

The Ministry of Education and Child Care wants to hear from past, present and prospective early childhood educator (ECE) students, as well as practicum student mentors, to better understand their needs, barriers and success in accessing recognized post-secondary ECE programming.

Edition 79, February 22, 2024

New $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres

More families in B.C will save thousands of dollars each year as more than 700 child care spaces have moved into the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program so far this year. These spaces will help reduce costs for families and further increase access to high-quality, affordable child care.

The newly approved $10 a Day spaces are being offered at 25 child care centres throughout the province, including Houston, Squamish, Surrey, and Vancouver.

For this intake, government’s focus was to prioritize new $10 a Day centres in communities that do not yet have access to the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program or have a low number of $10 a Day spaces compared to the region’s population density.

More spaces will be converted to the program over the next few weeks bringing B.C. closer to the goal of 15,000 $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces by spring 2024.

2024-25 Child Care Operating Funding Renewal – important timelines

Eligible providers have now started to receive funding agreements to review and sign as of February 21. To ensure continuous funding through April 1, providers must agree to the terms and conditions of the 2024-25 Funding Agreement by completing the declaration section of their program confirmation form. Complete this step by March 5 if you wish to claim for April payments starting March 15.

As in previous years, those requesting fee increases for April 2024 that are above the 3% fee increase limit cannot be offered temporary approval.

However, providers requesting an April fee increase can defer their scheduled increase to May 2024, or later, or change their proposed increase to under 3%, in order to ensure families can continue to receive fee reduction savings. To resubmit a revised fee increase request, contact the Child Care Operating Funding Program Contact Centre at 1-888-338-6622 (Option 2).

As a reminder, providers who have requested a fee increase at 3% of the regional median or under and who submit complete applications and signed funding agreements will receive an automatic approval notification for the 2024-25 year within a few business days.

Since February 21, all eligible applications submitted are starting to receive temporary and full approvals. Providers will have until April 30, 2024, to renew their funding and receive payments for April.

Providers can check for the most up-to-date status of their Child Care Operating Funding renewal using My ChildCareBC Services. As a reminder, participating child care providers can no longer charge waitlist and waitlist-related fees starting April 1, 2024.

Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement

Eligible renewing providers requesting to participate in the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE) will receive written approval from the ministry.

Those approved to participate may submit monthly early childhood educator (ECE) reports starting the first day of the month immediately following the applicable reporting month. For example, for April 2024, approved providers may submit their monthly ECE reports through the ECE Reporting Tool starting May 1.

Payments are calculated based on the total number of hours worked each month, which is why ECE-WE is reported and paid after the end of each month.

Register: BC Council for Families professional development workshops

The BC Council for Families is hosting a variety of in-person and live virtual workshops for providers that introduce and build on techniques, tools and best practices for supporting children and families.

In these workshops, attendees will learn from subject matter experts and receive recognized certification. The BC Council for Families works closely with sectoral, government and partner agencies to ensure professional development is relevant and provincially recognized. Please visit the BC Council for Families website for further information.

16th annual Pink Shirt Day

Commemorated on the last Wednesday of February each year, Pink Shirt Day is an international anti-bullying movement observed throughout British Columbia, across Canada and around the world.

Pink Shirt Day aims to raise awareness about the harmful effects of bullying and promote kindness, empathy, and inclusion. It also serves as a reminder to individuals and communities to take a stance against bullying, promote positive social interactions, and foster a culture of acceptance and understanding. Participants are encouraged to wear pink shirts as a visible symbol of their commitment to creating a more compassionate and respectful environment, free from bullying.

Since its inception in 2008, net proceeds of over $2.55 million have been distributed to support youth anti-bullying programs in B.C. and throughout Western Canada.

The 16th annual Pink Shirt Day is being held later this month on Wednesday, February 28. Visit the Pink Shirt Day website for more information and to participate.

Call for submissions: Children’s thoughts and feelings about inclusion and belonging

Calling all little artists!

The Ministry of Education and Child Care is developing an Inclusive Child Care Strategy as part of efforts to build a future where child care is a core service that is inclusive of all children and families. We want to hear from children about what inclusion in child care feels like for them.

We invite children and young people to describe “what happens around me when I feel like I belong?” using artwork, drawings, paintings, photos, or quotes that capture their unique experiences and perspectives. These submissions will be part of the engagement the ministry has been doing to inform the development of the Inclusive Child Care Strategy and may be published as part of the strategy. Please pass this along to as many child care providers, parents, and young people as possible!

Please submit all artwork and quotes to ChildCareBC.Engagement@gov.bc.ca no later than Friday, March 16, 2024. All submissions must be in a .JPG format that is at least 800kb, and must not include any identifying information about the child or young person. All published artwork and quotes will remain anonymous.

Edition 78, February 8, 2024

Child Care Operating Funding renewal update

As many of you may already know, the ministry has begun accepting applications for Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) renewals for the 2024-25 fiscal year. So far, more than 2,400 facilities have submitted their application to renew their funding, representing approximately 45 per cent of all CCOF funded child care facilities in the province.

For further information, including eligibility requirements and how to apply or renew funding through CCOF, please visit the Apply for or renew Child Care Operating Funding web page.

Reminder: 2023-24 New Spaces Fund intake closing soon

The ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund will be closing its current intake on February 9, 2024.

In the coming weeks, the ministry will introduce a new application process and guidelines for the next intake scheduled to open in April 2024.

Updated application and guideline materials will be available before the next intake begins. These documents will be added to the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund web page and shared in a future edition of the ChildCareBC Bulletin.

February is Black History Month

February marks the 29^th annual Black History Month in Canada. First recognized by the House of Commons in 1995, this is a time for British Columbians to come together in celebration of the many contributions, and accomplishments of Black Canadians and people from the African Diaspora.

The Honourable Kamal Khera, Federal Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities revealed this year’s theme – Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build. Minister Khera also announced almost $370,000 to support a variety of Black-led, Black-focused organizations in British Columbia.

ChildCareBC is committed to supporting every child to live happy, healthy lives and reach their full potential. This means supporting equitable access to inclusive child care, where all children of every ability and background can fully participate in early learning and child care activities.

We know, however, that there is much more work to do and that systemic racism in provincial programs and services has resulted in racialized people feeling left behind.

In June 2022, Rachna Singh, former Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives, and current Minister of Education and Child Care, led the development of the Anti-Racism Data Act. More than 13,000 British Columbians, including groups such as the B.C. Human Rights Commissioner, First Nations Leadership Council, the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres and Métis Nation BC shared their perspective. This is one of the first pieces of legislation to be co-developed with Indigenous Peoples under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. The intent of the act is to break down barriers, ensure racialized people aren’t disproportionately targeted and improve services.

Reminder: Anxiety strategies for early years

The Ministry of Children and Family Development has resources available for educators working with children of all ages that are experiencing mild-to-moderate anxiety in the classroom. The Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Early Years is an online course and a collection of resources available to B.C. early years professionals. It has practical and evidence-informed anxiety information and strategies to strengthen their capacity to support families with children ages 0 to 6. The Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators is a collection of evidence-informed resources and online courses for B.C. educators to use with students in kindergarten to Grade 12.

These resources align with the Mental Health in Schools Strategy and Early Learning Framework. For more information, please visit the HealthyMindsBC website.

Edition 77, January 24, 2024

2024-25 Child Care Operating Funding and Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative renewals launch

Child care providers can now apply to renew their Child Care Operating Funding agreements for 2024-25 and can also opt-in to the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement.

We encourage all child care providers to thoroughly review and familiarize themselves with the funding guidelines before applying, as there are changes to the program that will come into effect on April 1, 2024.

Before submitting a renewal application, review your service details in Schedule A of the current 2023-24 Funding Agreement and advise the program of any changes to avoid application delays.

The Contact Centre is now offering extended service hours every Thursday until 7:00pm. New hours of operation are Monday – Wednesday, Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. Thursday 8:30am – 7:00pm.

For further information, please visit the Child Care Operating Funding webpage.

2023-24 New Spaces Fund intake closing soon

The ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund will be closing its current intake on February 9, 2024. In the coming weeks, the New Spaces Fund will introduce a new application process and new guidelines for the next intake scheduled to open in April 2024.

Updated application and guideline materials will be available before the next intake begins. These documents will be added to the web page and shared in a future edition of the ChildCareBC Bulletin.

Call for responses closed for Child Care Resource and Referral services in B.C.

The official Call for Responses (CFR) posted November 16, 2023, on BC Bid for organizations interested in providing CCRR services throughout the province has now closed.

The evaluation of responses has begun. Once evaluation is complete, all applicants will be notified, with successful candidates moving forward with contract negotiations.

If any current or potential service providers have questions on the CFR process, they can contact Procurement@gov.bc.ca at the Ministry of Citizens’ Services.

YMCA Responsible Adult Course now available for free

The YMCA is offering a free course providing valuable training and certification for anyone in B.C. who works or volunteers in child care facilities, schools, before- and after-school care, camps, and other settings where children are present.

The self-paced online course takes 20 hours to complete. After successful completion of the course, participants will be certified as a Responsible Adult working in Licensed Child Care as required by the current BC Child Care Licensing Regulations.

For further information and to register, please visit the Responsible Adult Course page on the YMCA website.

In-Person regional engagements for Indigenous Child Care Professionals

The Ministry of Education and Child Care, together with First Nations Health Authority, BC Aboriginal Child Care Society, Aboriginal Head Start Association of BC, Métis Nation BC, and the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, are working to deliver a series of upcoming in-person and virtual engagements on Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care in B.C.

These engagements are intended to gather Indigenous child care providers, managers and leaders for a day of learning and relationship building. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about ministry and partner programs and resources, share best practices and celebrate successes, and to discuss current challenges and opportunities arising in Indigenous child care in B.C.

Invitations will come out shortly for meetings in Nanaimo, Vancouver, Campbell River and the Fraser Valley, with engagements in northern and interior British Columbia slated to take place later in the spring. Two virtual engagements will be available for those unable to attend in person.

Pediatric Bronchiolitis webinar with Choosing Wisely Canada

Choosing Wisely Talks is hosting a webinar on Wednesday January 31 at 9 a.m. to provide practical guidance for caregivers in managing bronchiolitis in children, while sharing tools and resources from the Bronchiolitis: Less is Best Toolkit released in November 2023. Speakers include Drs. Olivia Ostrow (SickKids Hospital) and Jennifer Young (College of Family Physicians of Canada).

For further information and to register, please visit the Bronchiolitis: Why Less is Best registration page on the Choosing Wisely Canada website.

Appetite to Play: Meal Planning and Eating Well in the Early Years workshop

Child Health BC is hosting a new Appetite to Play online workshop: Meal Planning and Eating Well in the Early Years on Wednesday February 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Participants will learn key topics, practical strategies, and useful provincial food guides for creating environments and practices that support children in eating well.

This online workshop is being facilitated by Registered Dietitian and ATP Lead trainer Shannon Smith. All information provided through the workshop aligns with provincial requirements for all licensed child care facilities. Professional development credits will be provided for participants.

For further information and to register, please visit Meal Planning and Eating Well in the Early Years. Those interested in attending are advised to register soon, as the workshop is limited to 20 participants.

Edition 75, January 10, 2024

Reminder: Specialized Certification Grant now available

As of January 1, ECEs with Infant Toddler Educator or Special Needs Educator certificates, also known as “specialized” or “post-basic” certificates, are eligible to receive the annual ECE Specialized Certification Grant.

ECEs holding both specialized certificates are eligible for a $3,000 payment, while those holding one specialized certificate are eligible for $2,000. These grants will be available to eligible ECEs for the next three years, and will be administered by Early Childhood Educators of BC.

Science of Early Child Development subscription notice

The Science of Early Childhood Development (SECD) is a knowledge translation and mobilization initiative, allowing access to current research on the impact of early experience on lifelong health and well-being.

The SECD website provides access to resources that help ensure those working with children can engage in ongoing learning that supports quality program and service delivery. This includes a suite of media resources, including readings, videos, links, questions for reflection and interactive activities.

All B.C. residents currently have free access to a ‘standard package’ of five resources that bring research and concepts to life. This licence agreement ends on March 31, 2024, and will not be renewed. The resources will be available on a subscription basis through Red River College. Those interested in accessing the SECD resources are recommended to do so before free access ends on March 31.

Notice of this change is being provided to allow for time to make necessary adjustments to course syllabi, assignments and resources. Switching from open to subscription access is a straightforward process, and SECD staff will work with you to make the transition as seamless as possible.

Reminder: Volunteers needed to test digital registry

The Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Registry is the body responsible for the certification of ECEs and ECE assistants. The registry will soon be transitioning from the current paper-based registration process for certification to a digital one. As the new digital process is developed, the ministry wants to ensure that current and new users have an opportunity to provide their input.

Volunteers are being asked to help test an initial version of the digital registry, beginning in late January 2024. The ministry is seeking a wide range of child care professionals, such as new (student) and returning registrants, those with different types of certification, and those with various levels of confidence using technology.

All volunteers are welcome. In particular, the ECE Registry team is looking for additional volunteers who:

Are new applicants with no prior registry experience
Have completed most of their early childhood education or are certified as an ECE or ECE-A outside of B.C.
Are under 25 years old
Have arrived in Canada within the last five years
Have experience as an international applicant

If you are interested in testing the digital registry, please fill out this information form by January 15, 2024. We encourage you to share this notice with your staff and any educators or students who may be interested in volunteering. Thank you to those who have already filled out the form.

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2023 Archive

Edition 75, December 14, 2023

Holiday message from Minister Grace Lore

Dear Child Care Partners:

I am writing today to wish you a happy holiday season and to thank you for your dedication, commitment and hard work. I also want to thank you for your ongoing partnership and collaboration to make quality, affordable and inclusive care a reality for thousands of families across our province.

I always say, that when we talk about child care spaces – we’re really talking about child care professionals because without you, none of this critical work would be possible. The guidance, care and learning opportunities that you provide to our youngest help shape future generations and communities.

As 2023 comes to an end, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the connections and conversations I have had with child care professionals this past year. It has been a privilege to visit and tour facilities and meet child care professionals and children in different communities across the province. It is always very clear to me how much passion, care and love child care professionals have for what they do; thank you for the critical roles you play in the lives of children, families and communities.

In recognition of the important work you do, government has begun testing a wage grid and funding model at select child care centres. While this work is underway, we know the sector needs support now, which is why we increased the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement by another $2 per hour, bringing it up to $6 per hour, effective December 1. We also introduced new grants of up to $3,000 per year that ECEs with specialized, or post-basic, post-secondary education will be available to apply for starting in January.

While there is more work to be done, these investments are part of our ongoing commitment to recruit, retain and recognize ECEs and the sector. We know that each one of you is vital to delivering quality, inclusive and affordable child care as a core service that B.C. families can count on.

I wish you and your loved ones a very happy, restful and warm holiday season!

With gratitude,

Grace Lore
Minister of State for Child Care

VIDEO: Learn more about ChildCareBC’s Operating Funding Model

Earlier this fall, the ministry announced it was moving forward with a new ChildCareBC Operating Funding Model (OFM) test and invited roughly 50 current $10 a Day ChildCareBC centres to be test sites for the new model. Learn more about the OFM test in the video below and on our YouTube channel.

By working with a small selection of child care operators, this measured approach will allow government to test, refine and improve the way funding is delivered to operators. Through the ChildCareBC OFM Test 2023, the early childhood workforce will participate in government’s first iteration of a wage grid for the sector, which will include a compensation approach that includes funding for benefits, paid sick days, vacation days and professional development. As this test goes on, government will continue to learn and improve the model before it is expanded further, meaning the final OFM may look different from this initial test.

The OFM model is intended to:

Reduce overhead and provide stable funding for providers
Set clear standards for service and support for early childhood professionals
Provide consistent, affordable parent fees
Foster culturally safe and inclusive child care

The ministry is working to ensure it’s as easy as possible for providers to make the transition as part of the ChildCareBC vision to build a future where affordable, accessible, quality, inclusive child care is a core service that families can depend on.

Operators: Submit funding claims between December 15-18, 2023

To ensure payment by January 1, 2024, licensed child care providers must submit January claims between December 15 and December 18 for Child Care Operating Funding, the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and the Affordable Child Care Benefit.

This is two days earlier than the standard 15th to 20th time frame, due to the December holiday schedule. If you do not require payment by January 1, continue to submit as per your current practice.

Volunteers needed to test digital registry

The Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Registry is the body responsible for the certification of ECEs and ECE Assistants. The Registry will soon be transitioning from the current paper-based registration process for certification to a digital one. As the new digital process is developed, the ministry wants to ensure that current and new users have an opportunity to provide their input into the new digital process.

If you are interested in testing the digital registry, please fill out this information form by January 15, 2024.

We encourage you to share this notice with your staff and any educators or students who may be interested in volunteering.

Anxiety strategies for early years

The Ministry of Children and Family Development have resources available for educators working with children of all ages that are experiencing mild to moderate anxiety in the classroom. The Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Early Years is an online course and a collection of resources providing B.C. early years professionals with practical and evidence-informed anxiety information and strategies to strengthen their capacity to support families with children ages 0 to 6. The Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators is a collection of evidence-informed resources and online courses for B.C. educators to use with students Kindergarten to Grade 12.

These resources align with the Mental Health in Schools Strategy and Early Learning Framework. For more information please visit the HealthyMindsBC website.

Edition 74, December 6, 2023

Child Care Operating Funding renewal starts in early January

Together, government and child care providers are reducing fees for families and sustaining child care services in communities throughout British Columbia.

Since 2018-19 ChildCareBC programs have put $1.5 billion dollars back into parents’ pockets to help with things like groceries, bills or enrolling kids in extracurricular activities.

In 2023-24 the provincial government, together with the federal government, will spend an estimated $820 million for the Child Care Operating Funding, Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement programs to sustain child care operations and reduce fees for families.

Starting in early January 2024, child care providers can apply to renew their Child Care Operating Funding agreements, and opt-in to the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement.

For the 2023-24 funding term, 96% of eligible child care providers, representing 81,000 licensed child care spaces, applied to participate in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, which demonstrates the sector’s commitment to providing affordable child care to families.

For 2024-25, we are providing the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative Funding Guidelines and Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement Funding Guidelines in advance to assist with planning. We are also opening the renewal application period in early January, to help ensure continuous funding for providers and stable fee reductions for families.

NEW for 2024-25 Child Care Operating Funding renewal: Regional structure changes

Starting in 2024-25, the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative will align with the BC School Superintendents Association’s (BCSSA) regional chapters.

In 2022, the Child Care Division moved into the Ministry of Education to help integrate child care into the broader learning environment. This created the new Ministry of Education and Child Care. Changing to education-based regions will help the program remain regionally responsive and further child care’s integration into the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

For over 96% of eligible program spaces, the change to education-based regions will change the regional limits on fees, and fee increases, by a small amount or even increase it when compared with 2023-24. To help ease this transition for impacted providers, the ministry will consider case-by-case exceptions.

Child care providers can find their new region as well as benchmark and fee increases for 2024-25 in the 2024-25 Funding Guidelines or by using the BCSSA Lookup Tool.

NEW for 2024-25 Child Care Operating Funding renewal: Elimination of waitlist and waitlist-related fees

Starting April 1, 2024, government-funded child care providers receiving Child Care Operating Funding can no longer charge waitlist or waitlist-related fees. This policy change helps ensure that waitlist fees are not a financial barrier for families seeking equitable access for child care throughout the province.

Waitlist and waitlist-related fees are any refundable or non-refundable fee associated with adding, maintaining or altering a parent or child’s position on a waitlist to access child care services at a centre. The ministry has sole discretion to determine whether something is a waitlist fee.

Most participating child care providers, approximately 95%, do not charge a waitlist fee. Providers are not required to refund waitlist fees collected before April 1, 2024.

Prior to this policy change taking effect, families are encouraged to speak with potential child care providers to understand their policies on waitlists and refunds before providing payment.

Reminder: Providers can track new ECE Wage Enhancement hours starting December 1

As announced in October, early childhood educators (ECEs) will receive another hourly wage enhancement to support the essential work they do to educate and care for young children. Eligible ECEs working at participating facilities will receive this additional $2-per-hour raise based on hours worked.

Starting on December 1, participating providers can begin including the additional $2 wage enhancement as they track and report the hours worked by ECEs at their facilities. Eligibility for the $2 per hour increase is based on whether the employer is part of the public sector, as defined in the Public Sector Employers Act or are designated in the Public Sector Employers Regulation.

Reminder: ECE Specialized Certification Grant available in January

Starting in January 2024, ECEs with Infant Toddler Educator or Special Needs Educator certificates, also known as “specialized” or “post-basic” certificates, will be eligible to receive the annual ECE Specialized Certification Grant.

ECEs holding both specialized certificates will be eligible for a $3,000 payment, while those holding one specialized certificate will be eligible for $2,000. These grants will be available to eligible ECEs for the next three years, and will be administered by Early Childhood Educators of BC.

2023 Online Speaker Series: Children and youth with support needs

The Ministry of Children and Family Development is hosting a free symposium speaker series with experts in child and youth development and disability as they share insights on topics related to services for children and youth with support needs. This series is part of a broader initiative to enable families, service providers, advocates, and Indigenous communities to share their voice and inform the designing of effective services for B.C.'s children and youth. The speaker series is underway and concludes on December 14.

Topics include neurodevelopmental disorders, mental health, funding approaches, and more. The four remaining virtual events, each featuring a one-hour presentation and facilitated dialogue, are open for registration. Please visit EventBrite to learn more and register for one or more sessions.

Edition 73, November 17, 2023

Event: Minister to help launch new early years course

The Ministry of Education and Child Care is partnering with CanAssist on November 23 for a virtual event in celebration of the launch of the Behaviour in the Early Years online course.

The event will provide an introductory tour of the newest course on the BC Early Years Professional Development Hub, which is centered around supporting behaviour in early years child care. The Honourable Grace Lore, Minister of State for Child Care, will deliver opening remarks followed by a panel of parents and subject matter experts to discuss inclusive child care and supporting children’s behaviour in child care spaces. The event will end with a questions and answers session for the audience and a certificate of participation will be given to each attendee. ASL interpreters and closed captioning services will also be provided. The event is free to join, and registration will be open until November 22, 2023.

Opportunity to provide Child Care Resource and Referral Services in B.C.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care is seeking organizations across the province to deliver services under the Child Care Resources and Referral program and has issued a Call For Responses (CFR).

Interested organizations should visit BC Bid to review the CFR opportunity. The process will be managed by Procurement Services Branch at the Ministry of Citizens’ Services through BC Bid.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education and Child Care will soon be issuing a CFR for organizations who are interested in providing province-wide Francophone services similar to those under the Child Care Resources and Referral program. Interested organizations should monitor BC Bid for the posting of this CFR opportunity. A Notice-To-Vendors has been posted on BC Bid.

If any current or potential service providers have questions on the Notice to Vendors or Call For Response process and how to participate, they can visit the BC Bid website, or contact procurement@gov.bc.ca at the Ministry of Citizens’ Services.

Edition 72, November 1, 2023

Increased wages to recognize early childhood educators

Early childhood educators (ECEs) will receive another hourly raise, starting in January 2024, to support the essential work they do to educate and care for young children. New annual grants recognizing ECEs with specialized training will also be available in the new year. Eligible ECEs working at participating licensed child care facilities will receive a $2-per-hour raise in January 2024, based on hours worked in December 2023, on top of the existing $4-per-hour wage enhancement.

This government-funded raise is the most recent in a series of increases to the ECE Wage Enhancement, bringing the total raise to $6 per hour and increasing the median wage for ECEs up to approximately $28 per hour.

In addition to the latest increase, ECEs who hold an infant toddler educator or special needs educator certification through the ECE Registry will be able to apply for a further $2,000 per year. ECEs who hold both certificates will be eligible to receive $3,000 per year.

ECEs with this type of specialized training are needed to ensure families have access to quality, inclusive child care throughout British Columbia.

New child care funding model to be tested

The ChildCareBC vision is to build a future where affordable, accessible, quality, inclusive child care is a core service that families can depend on. Government has been advancing this goal through its $10 a Day ChildCareBC program, while also working on developing a new operational funding model to continue to the build on the work we have already done.

Starting this fall, the new ChildCareBC Operating Funding Model (OFM) Test 2023 will be introduced to child care operators in a phased approach. The new OFM that is being tested will enhance the way operational funding is delivered to providers. The ministry is working to ensure it’s as easy as possible for providers to make the transition.

The new OFM test will initially be introduced to roughly 50 $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres. Starting with this measured approach allows government to work together with providers to test and refine the model to improve the way funding is delivered to operators. Through the ChildCareBC OFM Test 2023, the early childhood workforce is also being recognized with government’s first iteration of a wage grid for the sector that will include a compensation approach that includes benefits, paid time off and funding for professional development. Testing with a small number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres will allow government to learn and improve the model before it is expanded further. The final OFM may look different from this initial test.

A transition from the current market-based system to a publicly funded child care delivery model represents one of the biggest social policy changes in recent history and it is important for government to expand these services responsibly and sustainably, and to do so based on the best evidence available.

More information will be shared in the coming months.

VIDEO: Early Learning Child Care (ELCC) Summit

As you may already know, the 2023 Early Learning Child Care (ELCC) Summit took place earlier this month at the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel in Vancouver. The theme of this year’s Summit was “Supporting a Child Care Eco-System” and featured innovative dialogue and eye-opening conversations with provincial educators and leaders across a wide range of topics, including how to further integrate child care as a core service in communities throughout the province. It was a great learning experience for all the attendees, staff and guest speakers who joined us at the event, and we look forward to doing this again next year!

A video recording of the ELCC Summit is available for viewing on YouTube.

BC Early Years Professional Development Hub

The BC Early Years Professional Development Hub is a one-stop online professional development platform for educators working in the province’s early learning and child care sector. Educators can come together with other professionals to learn, share, and connect through online courses, discussion groups, and moderated group conversations. The HUB is coordinated by a collaborative partnership between the BC Family Child Care Association, Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia, Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre, the Early Childhood Pedagogy Network, and BC Aboriginal Child Care Society.

Courses available on the Hub are categorized as self-paced, group-based or instructor-guided, along with other offerings. Some courses currently available include Administration & Management for Child Care, Domestic Violence Intervention Toolkit, The Foundations of Inclusive Child Care Training, and Best Choices: The Ethical Journey.

Best Choices: The Ethical Journey is offered through a combination of self-paced, online modules and virtual “face-to-face” zoom calls between participants and a Best Choices guide. As child care professionals work with so many young children, the quality of these interactions have a significant, enduring impact and require a commitment to the highest standards of ethical practice. Those who complete the training can expect to learn the principles of the ECE professional Code of Ethics, recognize what they look like in practice, and use a reasoned approach in decision making when principles in the Code of Ethics conflict with solutions throughout the work day.

ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund intake

The current ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund intake will remain open based on budget availability. Applicants are encouraged to submit by January 2024 to ensure their application can be considered prior to fiscal year end. This web page will be updated as needed with changes or anticipated closure dates for the 2023/2024 intake.

As of October 2023, minor clarifications have been made to Section 2.1 of the Funding Guidelines.

ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence spotlight: Sharlene Wedel

Sharlene Wedel is the recipient of the 2023 ChildCareBC Regional Award for Excellence – Fraser. As a tireless leader in Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) for more than three decades, Sharlene has made considerable contributions toward quality inclusive child care, supporting families, children, communities, and educators by fostering relationships across the sector.

It is this expertise and ability to collaborate that led Sharlene to join Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) in October 2020, where she now serves as executive director. In this role, she supports MNBC in providing Métis children, families, and communities with culturally relevant and self-empowering ELCC programs and initiatives throughout the province.

Her long career is a testament to the power of collaboration, partnerships, and relationships in the child care sector. Her commitment to best practices and quality inclusive child care is supported by her compassionate leadership and exceptional dedication.

Congratulations, Sharlene, on this well-deserved recognition for your many years of valuable work!

Edition 71, October 19, 2023

Employee Health Tax reimbursement now available

If you are participating in the ECE Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE) and are required to pay the Employer Health Tax (EHT), you may be eligible to receive funding support from the ministry. This reimbursement funding is available to offset any increase in EHT you are required to pay for being part of the ECE-WE. This reimbursement ensures the amount of EHT you pay does not change due to your participation in ECE-WE.

The application for the EHT Reimbursement for the 2022 tax year is open and the deadline to apply is October 31, 2023. Visit the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement web page for more information.

Child Care Awards of Excellence spotlight: Violet Jessen

Violet Jessen is the recipient of the 2023 ChildCareBC Regional Award of Excellence - Vancouver Coastal, as a leader in the field of early childhood care and education (ECCE) for over 20 years. Her dedication within ECCE is evident throughout her work with the sector, governments, and professional associations to advocate for continued investment in the field.

Violet has been a faculty member of Capilano University’s ECCE department since 2002 and was instrumental in the development of the degree program – the first of its kind in British Columbia. Throughout Violet’s tenure, she has made important contributions within the diploma and degree programs in both devising the curriculum and implementing a dedicated host centre practicum model for student educators.

Violet is a connector, and through her professional outreach and commitment to building and bridging relationships, strong interconnected networks of early childhood educators have arisen in North Vancouver and beyond. She tirelessly works to advocate for the profession in her many roles.

Congratulations, Violet, for your dedication in providing exceptional child care!

Edition 70, October 4, 2023

Annual Union of British Columbia Municipalities Conference

Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore, met with representatives from 26 municipalities throughout the province last month at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference. The annual conference, held this year in Vancouver on September 19-20, provided invaluable opportunities for local governments to advocate on behalf of their communities and share the work they are doing to support local families with access to affordable, quality, inclusive child care.

Michelle Kirby, Assistant Director of Child Care Development, was recognized at the conference for her work supporting an innovative pilot project in Fernie. Michelle worked diligently on a partnership between the City of Fernie and BC Housing, pairing housing with child care in a modular construction. Scheduled for completion in the fall of 2024, the project will create child care spaces and approximately 27 units of housing prioritized for early childhood educators.

Reflecting on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day

How did you recognize and honour the healing journeys of residential school survivors and their families for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day?

The day was created to remember the children who never came home, to learn the true history and legacy of the residential school system, and to honour the resilience, dignity and strength of survivors and intergenerational survivors.

We would love to hear and share stories of how child care providers recognized the day with children-centred activities like wearing orange, reading Indigenous stories, and connecting with the lands.

Please send your stories and photos to ChildCareBC.engagement@gov.bc.ca

French Footprints: FSL in the Early Years

Canadian Parents for French is launching “French Footprints: FSL in the Early Years”, a nationwide training e-module designed to provide educators with the confidence, knowledge and skills to provide French as a second language (FSL) learning opportunities within early childhood programming.

With four evidence-based modules and a strong focus on translating theory into practice, this e-module will help Anglophone family support practitioners incorporate elements of FSL learning into programs for Anglophone children (ages 1-9) in a responsive, engaging, and educational way. No French language skills are required to take the e-module. Visit Canadian Parents for French to learn more.

Register now: Appetite to Play online workshops

As mentioned in the ChildCareBC bulletin published on September 20, Appetite to Play is offering two instructor-led online workshops to promote healthy childhood development this fall. This workshop is designed to enhance knowledge, skills and confidence in creating child care settings that provide food and physical activity in the early years.

Each workshop is two hours long and counts toward professional development credits for early childhood educators. This program is open to early years providers who work with children birth-6 years old, and who want to increase their capacity in this field. Each workshop is $19 plus tax, per person.

Interested participants can register on the Appetite to Play website.

ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence spotlight: Connie Bourne

Connie Bourne is the recipient of the 2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence Lifetime Achievement award for providing outstanding child care and leadership for over 30 years.

Connie’s impact is felt deeply wherever she goes, including during her many years at Bob and Kay Ackles YMCA Nanook House. She motivates and inspires those around her with energy, passion, and dedication, and strives to support not only children, but also families, peers, and the community at large. Connie is a preferred trainer for YMCA Early Years educators and leaders. She also advocates for those she works with, striving to set them up for success.

At Nanook House, Connie worked primarily with Indigenous children and families that required extra support. She built a network of community resources that she could call on to meet the needs of those she worked with, and also offered Christmas and birthday gifts, school supplies and healthy meal resources to support children and families outside of child care programming. Connie is committed to incorporating the principles of Truth and Reconciliation into her programs, partnering with Elders to create culturally safe spaces. Connie’s talent for providing connection and support was again demonstrated when her current child care centre recently welcomed a family from Ukraine. She created a strong network of care by reacquainting staff with trauma-informed practice, making community introductions for the family and sourcing donations.

Congratulations, Connie, for your exceptional legacy of compassionate, supportive and engaging child care and education!

Edition 69, September 20, 2023

Updated child care guidance from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control

To help prepare families and child care providers, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has updated its public health guidance for communicable diseases in child care settings. The BCCDC has also updated their guidelines for school settings.

The updated child care setting guidelines focus on supporting management of all communicable disease. You are encouraged to review this updated guidance and take time to implement health and safety policies that best suit the needs of your staff, children, and families.

Resources are available to support management of respiratory infections and other routine communicable diseases, including HealthLinkBC and Sneezes and Diseases.

Now Available: Appetite to Play online workshops

Appetite to Play is offering two instructor-led online workshops to promote healthy childhood development this fall. This workshop is designed to enhance knowledge, skills and confidence in creating child care settings that provide food and physical activity in the early years.

Each workshop is two hours long and counts toward professional development credits for early childhood educators (ECEs). This program is open to early years providers who work with children 0-6 years old, and who want to increase their capacity in this field. Each workshop is $19 plus tax, per person.

Interested participants can register on the Appetite to Play website.

New Resource: Cannabis Poisoning Stakeholder Toolkit

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction recently launched a public education campaign to raise awareness of pediatric cannabis poisoning. The centre points to recent research that shows hospitalizations are on the rise due to accidental poisoning from edibles resembling chocolate, baked goods and candy.

Their new Pediatric Cannabis Poisoning Stakeholder Toolkit shares important information, social media graphics and messaging emphasizing the importance of safely storing cannabis out of reach from children.

ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence spotlight: Julie Hutchinson

The 2023 ChildCareBC Regional Award of Excellence – North was presented to Julie Hutchinson for championing quality, inclusive child care in northern B.C.

Julie joined the team at the YMCA BC as an ECE assistant and advanced her education to become a certified ECE within three years. She grew in her role at the YMCA Vanderhoof Care and Learning Centre to become manager of Child Care Operations for the Nechako Region.

Julie uses a truly collaborative approach in everything she does. She thrives in fully supporting children, families and staff alike. Julie offers a hand of support, making sure children feel special, comfortable and safe. She builds an effective team, with daily check-ins and a welcoming open-door policy.

During the pandemic, Julie was instrumental in re-opening programming and restoring life to the child care centre, which provided much needed support in Vanderhoof.

Julie strives for growth and improvement across child care programming. She is now focusing her talents and time to developing YMCA child care programming in Fort St. James.

Congratulations, Julie, for your dedication in providing exceptional child care!

Reminder: Grants available to help international and francophone ECEs join B.C.’s child care sector

Prospective ECEs with non-English education will find it easier to apply for certification to work in British Columbia’s child care sector thanks to financial support to translate educational documents into English.

Internationally educated and francophone Canadians can apply for a grant of up to $2,500 at the same time as they apply for ECE certification with the Province’s ECE Registry. These grants can be used to have non-English documents such as school transcripts and course descriptions translated into English by MOSAIC B.C.

Approximately 300 ECEs that have completed their education in non-English programs may be eligible to receive the grant. This support is significant given that translation services have an average cost of around $5,000 per applicant.

Interested ECE applicants began being eligible to apply for these translation grants on August 17, 2023, and can find more information on web pages for internationally educated applicants and francophone-educated Canadians.

Reminder: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was created to remember the Indigenous children who never came home, to acknowledge the history and legacy of the residential school system, and to honour the resilience, dignity and strength of survivors and intergenerational survivors.

In March 2023, B.C. passed legislation to recognize September 30 as a statutory holiday in British Columbia. Public schools, public post-secondary institutions, research universities, Crown corporations and provincial government offices will be closed on October 2.

Private organizations – including child care centres – make their own decisions about opening or closing on the holiday, and child care providers are asked to remind families if they will be closed. More information about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day is available on both the British Columbia website and the Government of Canada website.

The following information is for child care providers participating in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative:

As with all statutory holidays, if your child care centre is closed, do not claim enrolment on that day. Child Care Operating Funding Base Funding is only paid for days when a centre is open and operating. Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative rates are calculated based on the number of business days in each month to ensure stable monthly reductions for families.
If your child care centre is open and operating, claim enrolment as you normally would on your monthly enrolment report.

To ensure ECEs, including those at $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres, receive the ECE Wage Enhancement on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, child care providers will be able to claim the wage enhancement for hours paid to employees on the holiday even if they are closed.

While child care providers typically do not claim the wage enhancement for statutory holidays, this change has been made as the holiday was not included in 2023-24 statutory benefits funding amounts. Updated funding agreement schedules and information about claiming wage enhancement on the holiday were sent to providers on August 31. Funding guidelines have also been updated and are available on the program web pages.

Families with school-aged children in receipt of the Affordable Child Care Benefit can request an adjustment for a higher rate of payment if their child care centre is open and operational for the statutory holiday. Child Care providers or parents may submit forms after September 25.

Update: wildfire and drought conditions in British Columbia

The provincial state of emergency issued on August 18, 2023 has ended.

Wildfire risk is diminishing in British Columbia, thanks to the hard work of firefighters from B.C., Canada and abroad, as well as cooling temperatures throughout the province. This has led to many residents returning to their homes after evacuation alerts and notices. Government understands that some child care situations may have changed due to the wildfires and the ministry continues to monitor the situation to ensure it can support families and child care providers.

People, communities, First Nations, and wildlife throughout British Columbia are experiencing severe wildfire and drought conditions. The safety of child care operators, staff and families are the most important things at this time. That must be prioritized above all else. Please listen to your local officials and emergency responders and comply with all evacuation orders and all other emergency management communication.

Some impacted child care facilities may be eligible for assistance through the ChildCareBC Maintenance Fund once the emergency situation has passed. The fund helps licensed child care facilities in emergency circumstances, defined as sudden and unexpected conditions that directly impact children’s health and safety or may result in immediate facility closure.

In addition to extreme wildfires, B.C. is also experiencing a drought and everyone is being urged to do their part to conserve water. Many communities offer incentives and rebates for water efficient upgrades, and we encourage people to check with their local government, regional district or First Nation and take advantage of the programs and rebates available to them.

We encourage child care providers to help children understand the importance of conserving, reducing and reusing water. Water conservation and drought information is available on the Drought Information Resources website, and information about climate change and wildfires is available on the Get Prepared for a Wildfire web page.

For updates on current wildfire conditions, visit EmergencyInfoBC and BCWildfire.ca. You can also follow EmergencyInfoBC on their social media.

If you have any program specific questions, you can reach the ministry at 1-888-338-6622 (toll free). Specific programs can be reached at the options below:

Option 1 – Affordable Child Care Benefit
Option 2 – Child Care Operating Funding (Base Funding, Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, ECE Wage Enhancement)
Option 3 – Early Childhood Educator Registry
Option 4 – Child Care Resource and Referral
Option 5 – Child Care Capital Funding (New Spaces Fund, Maintenance Fund, Start-Up Grants)
Option 7 – $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres

Edition 68, September 7, 2023

Minister of State for Child Care to host September town hall

Grace Lore, Minister of State for Child Care, will host the second ChildCareBC town hall forum on September 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The virtual session will be open to the child care sector, and participants will be able to submit questions and feedback directly to the Minister during the forum.

A recording of the previous town hall, held on May 30, is available on the ChildCareBC website.

Information for child care providers: severe wildfire and drought conditions throughout British Columbia

People, communities, First Nations, and wildlife throughout British Columbia are experiencing severe wildfire and drought conditions.

On August 18, 2023, the Province of British Columbia declared a Provincial State of Emergency to support ongoing response and recovery efforts caused by wildfire. The State of Emergency is currently in place until September 14, 2023. On August 19, 2023, the Province issued an Emergency Order restricting non-essential use of temporary accommodations. Travel restrictions have been fully lifted as of August 25.

We understand child care providers and parents are concerned about closures due to the wildfire emergency in our province and how this will impact ChildCareBC funding programs. The safety of yourselves, your staff and your families are the most important things at this time. That must be prioritized above all else.

Please listen to your local officials and emergency responders and comply with all evacuation orders and all other emergency management communication.

For updates on current wildfire conditions, visit EmergencyInfoBC and BCWildfire.ca. You can also follow EmergencyInfoBC on their social media.

If you have any program specific questions, you can reach the ministry at 1-888-338-6622 (toll free). Specific programs can be reached at the options below:

Option 1 – Affordable Child Care Benefit
Option 2 – Child Care Operating Funding (Base Funding, Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, ECE Wage Enhancement)
Option 3 – Early Childhood Educator Registry
Option 4 – Child Care Resource and Referral
Option 5 – Child Care Capital Funding (New Spaces Fund, Maintenance Fund, Start-Up Grants)
Option 7 – $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres

How to prepare your child care centre for a heat event

Heat events, also known as heatwaves, are a series of days with higher-than-normal temperatures for the region. As the climate changes, heat events will become more frequent, longer, and hotter throughout British Columbia.

Child care centres can plan for heat events to support the safety of children and staff by:

Closing shutters or blinds on south-facing windows
Where available, utilizing air-conditioning systems for cooling
Opening windows for cross-ventilation (if no air-conditioning system is available)
Using directional fans for airflow
Using the coolest spaces within the building, where possible
Ensuring children and staff have access to, and are drinking water throughout the day
Adapting or pausing activities that generate heat (like moderate or vigorous physical activity)
If outside, seeking shaded and breezier areas
Sharing information with their families about expected heat events, and what precautions can be taken at home.

Information on preparing for heat events is available from the BC Centre for Disease Control.

ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence spotlight: Japanese Language Consultants Victoria

Japanese Language Consultants (JLC) Victoria is the recipient of the 2023 ChildCareBC Regional Award – Vancouver Island, for offering exceptional immersive child care. JLC Victoria offers the only Japanese immersion preschool on the island and they welcome children from all backgrounds whose families are willing to learn Japanese language and culture. For those children not familiar with Japanese language and culture, JLC Victoria is committed to providing support to help them succeed. For those children who come from a Japanese background, JLC Victoria helps them to grow their language skills and learn, practice, and preserve their culture.

JLC Victoria has been noted as returning a delightful youthful energy to the historic Craigflower School House. Their activities, including seasonal celebrations representing Japanese and Canadian cultures, are opportunities to share their joy of culture and learning. JLC Victoria programming continually evolves, but always offers an enjoyable and engaging learning experience.

Congratulations, JCL Victoria, on delivering high-quality child care built a strong passion for Japanese language and culture!

Reminder: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30

The following information is for child care providers participating in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative:

As with all statutory holidays, if your child care centre is closed, do not claim enrolment on that day. Child Care Operating Funding Base Funding is only paid for days when a centre is open and operating. Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative rates are calculated based on the number of business days in each month to ensure stable monthly reductions for families.
If your child care centre is open and operating, claim enrolment as you normally would on your monthly enrolment report.

To ensure Early Childhood Educators, including those at $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres, receive the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, child care providers will be able to claim the wage enhancement for hours paid to employees on the holiday even if they are closed.

While child care providers typically do not claim the wage enhancement for statutory holidays, this change has been made as the holiday was not included in 2023-24 statutory benefits funding amounts. Updated funding agreement schedules and information about claiming wage enhancement on the holiday will be sent to providers in September. Funding guidelines have been updated and are available on the program web pages.

Child care providers caring for school age children in receipt of the Affordable Child Care Benefit can request an adjustment for a higher rate of payment if the centre is open and operational for the statutory holiday. The ministry website will update its Affordable Child Care Benefit page and forms in September to reflect this change.

Reminder: Grants available to help international and francophone ECEs join B.C.’s child care sector

Prospective early childhood educators (ECEs) with non-English education will find it easier to apply for certification to work in British Columbia’s child care sector thanks to financial support to translate educational documents into English.

Edition 67, August 23, 2023

Severe wildfire and drought conditions across British Columbia

People, communities, First Nations, and wildlife across British Columbia are experiencing severe wildfire and drought conditions much earlier and more widespread than in previous years.

On August 18, 2023, the Province of British Columbia declared a Provincial State of Emergency to support ongoing response and recovery efforts caused by wildfire. On August 19, 2023, the Province issued an Emergency Order restricting non-essential use of temporary accommodations. The order includes hotels, motels, inns, bed and breakfasts, hostels, RV parks, and campgrounds in these Okanagan cities: Kelowna & West Kelowna, Kamloops, Oliver, Osoyoos, Penticton and Vernon. The Order does not impact travel through to other regions.

Please listen to your local officials and emergency responders and comply with all evacuation orders, travel restrictions and all other emergency management communication.

Impacted child care facilities may be eligible for some assistance through the ChildCareBC Maintenance Fund once the emergency situation has passed. The fund helps licensed child care facilities in emergency circumstances, defined as sudden and unexpected conditions that directly impact children’s health and safety or may result in immediate facility closure.

Everyone is also being urged to do their part to conserve water. Many communities offer incentives and rebates for water efficient upgrades, and we encourage people to check with their local government, regional district or First Nation and take advantage of the programs and rebates available to them.

Water conservation and drought information is available on the Drought Information Resources website, and information about climate change and wildfires is available on the Get Prepared for a Wildfire web page.

For ongoing updates on current wildfire conditions, visit Emergency Management British Columbia and BCWildfire.ca. You can also follow EMBC on their social media.

If you have any program specific questions, you can reach the ministry at 1-888-338-6622 (toll free). Specific programs can be reached at the options below:

Option 1 – Affordable Child Care Benefit
Option 2 – Child Care Operating Funding (Base Funding, Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, ECE Wage Enhancement)
Option 3 – Early Childhood Educator Registry
Option 4 – Child Care Resource and Referral
Option 5 – Child Care Capital Funding (New Spaces Fund, Maintenance Fund, Start-Up Grants)
Option 7 – $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres

Grants available to help international and francophone ECEs join B.C.’s child care sector

The ECE Registry receives up to 600 applications each year from people who have completed their education outside of Canada, and from francophone Canadians. Approximately 300 ECEs that have completed their education in non-English programs may be eligible to receive the grant. This support is significant given that translation services have an average cost of around $5,000 per applicant.
Interested ECE applicants began being eligible to apply for these translation grants on Aug. 17, 2023, and can find more information on web pages for internationally educated applicants and francophone-educated Canadians.

September is just around the corner – apply for the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative

In December 2022, through combined provincial and federal investments made through ChildCareBC and the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CW-ELCC), B.C. reduced average child care fees by 50% for children kindergarten-aged and under (when compared to 2019 levels). This resulted in significant child care savings for families with young children.

We know that child care needs don’t end at age five, and that child care is also needed outside of school hours. On September 1, 2023, the Province will expand eligibility for the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative to include families with children enrolled in eligible preschool and school-aged care programs, including before- and after-school care as well as full-day care on non-instructional days. Approved Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) centres will receive fee reductions of up to $145 per child, per month. The amount of fee reductions available depend on the type of care being accessed, and the age of the child. Fee reduction amounts are scaled to achieve similar average out of pocket costs for families regardless of the age of the child.

Child care providers are our partners in providing access to affordable, quality and inclusive child care for families. To support child care providers in delivering critical care and fee reductions for families throughout B.C. and help lift up the sector, participating providers receive up to $96 per month per enrolled space in provider payments. These provider payments are in addition to Child Care Operating Funding and parent fee reductions, and can be used by participating CCFRI providers to offset operational costs related to child care, including staff wages. When combined with a 3% fee increase, provider payments cover the average amount of additional revenue a provider would otherwise have received through an average or typical annual fee increase.

Important: Licensed child care providers must be approved for Child Care Operating Funding to be eligible for the CCFRI. Participation in the CCFRI is also required for access to other ChildCareBC funding, including the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement and the ChildCareBC Maintenance Fund.

Child care providers can visit the ministry website for the 2023-24 CCFRI Funding Guidelines and link to the My ChildCareBC Services portal to apply for the 2023-24 funding year. Be sure to apply now, if you haven’t already, to avoid any interruption in funding for September.

Check out the new and enhanced ChildCareBC fee estimator

The Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative Estimator has been updated to include preschool and school-aged care categories and is now available to help providers and families estimate their child care fees.

The estimator allows you to search for a specific child care centre and enter information based on your individual circumstances. A daily or monthly parent fee schedule will be generated based on the ministry-approved rates for the licensed child care centre. Approved amounts may vary depending on statutory holidays or other closures and fee estimates are based on the frequency of care type selected.

The estimator is intended to be used as a guide only and is not a guarantee of actual fees charged.

Don’t forget! Families need to renew their Affordable Child Care Benefit for the September 2023 payment

Families can use the My Family Services portal to renew or apply for the Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB). Benefit plans are issued for up to 12 months and families typically need to renew their application in September.

The ACCB is a monthly payment to help eligible families with the cost of child care. Factors like income, family size and type of care determine how much support families can receive.

Due to the September 1, 2023 expansion of the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, parents of children attending eligible half-day Preschool and or before and after school care programs in receipt of ACCB must provide the ministry with an updated monthly fee before September 2023 and are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to avoid payment interruptions. Families with benefit plans expiring before September 2023 can update their monthly fee by submitting a renewal application, while those expiring after September 1 can submit an updated Child Care Arrangement Form. Families can use the online CCFRI estimator to estimate their monthly fees for September. The estimator is intended to be used as a guide only and is not a guarantee of actual fees charged. Parents can also track the status of their request in the My Family Services portal.

To save time and reduce call volumes at the contact centre, please encourage families in your child care community to check the status of their Affordable Child Care Benefit application using the My Family Services portal before calling the ministry’s Child Care Service Centre.

ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence spotlight: Kootenay Family Place

The 2023 ChildCareBC Regional Award of Excellence - Interior was presented to Kootenay Family Place for its impressive history of providing exceptional care and education to children in the Kootenay area. Kootenay Family Place started as a small child care program in Castlegar in 1972 and has expanded to now offer 14 programs throughout the West Kootenay and Boundary area.

Kootenay Family Place has a strong commitment to providing comprehensive and culturally responsive programming. They focus on building strong relationships with families and communities, creating an environment where children flourish. One of the key strengths of Kootenay Family Place is emphasis on innovation and continuous improvement. They aim to enhance the quality of care they provide through a willingness to take risks and try new methods.

This approach has generated a number of successful initiatives, such as their Mothers for Recovery Support Group, which provides a welcoming and safe space for mothers to share the challenges and achievements of finding and maintaining recovery from drugs and or alcohol. Daily programming includes prenatal and postnatal support through Beautiful Beginnings, as well as drop-in groups, and information sessions for families. They also offer Supported Child Development and Infant Development programs, as well as referrals to therapy services such as Pediatric Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy, creating an inclusive environment for children and families.

Congratulations to Kootenay Family Place for providing comprehensive and genuinely supportive child care!

Edition 68, August 9, 2023

September is just around the corner – apply for the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative

We know that child care needs don’t end at five years old and that it’s needed outside of school hours. On September 1, 2023, families with children enrolled in preschool and school-aged care, including before- and after-school care as well as full-day care on non-instructional days at approved Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) centres, will receive fee reductions of up to $145 per child, per month.

The ministry uses data from over 5,000 licensed child care facilities to determine provider payment amounts. The data shows that operational expenses are higher at group (centre-based) child care facilities compared to family (home-based) care. When combined with a 3% fee increase, provider payments, that are provided in addition to Child Care Operating Funding and parent fee reductions, can be used for operational costs related to child care, including staff wages.

The Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement is a five-year plan to reduce child care costs for families. It requires the ministry to focus funding provided through the agreement on fee reductions for children kindergarten-aged and under.

Through this partnership, B.C. reduced child care fees by about 50% for children kindergarten-aged and under compared to 2019 levels in December 2022. This resulted in significant child care savings for families. Families of school-aged children in B.C. will also begin saving on child care fees beginning in September 2023 when the program is expanded. Fee reduction amounts may be different when comparing 0-5 savings and school-aged savings, but they result in similar average child care costs for families because school-aged care usually has a lower initial cost.

Important: Licensed child care providers must be approved for Child Care Operating Funding in order to be eligible for the CCFRI. Participation in the CCFRI is also required for access to other ChildCareBC funding, including the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement and the ChildCareBC Maintenance Fund.

Check out the new and enhanced ChildCareBC fee estimator

The estimator is intended to be used as a guide only and is not a guarantee of payment.

Don’t forget! Families need to renew their Affordable Child Care Benefit for September 2023 payment

The ACCB is a monthly payment to help eligible families with the cost of child care. Factors like income, family size and type of care determine how much support families can receive.

Parents of preschool and school-aged children in receipt of ACCB must provide the ministry with an updated monthly fee before September 2023 and are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to avoid payment interruptions. Families with benefit plans expiring before September 2023 can update their monthly fee by submitting a renewal application, while those expiring after September 1 can submit an updated Child Care Arrangement Form. Families can use the online CCFRI estimator to estimate their monthly fees for September. Parents can also track the status of their request in the My Family Services portal.

2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence recording available on YouTube

In May, the 2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence recognized child care professionals and organizations vital for B.C. families, communities and the economy. The event was hosted by Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore. A recording of the awards ceremony is now available on YouTube.

ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence spotlight: Wendy Flegel

Wendy Flegel is the recipient of the 2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence Innovation Award for her exemplary work at the Kamloops Christian School Early Learning Centre. Wendy was nominated for this award for applying her passion and creativity in fun and innovative ways. She plans, designs and organizes thoughtful learning experiences that integrate sensory details, holistic body approaches and connections to nature.

Wendy’s creative vision is paired with a deep respect for those around her, which includes children, families, peers and even the materials used throughout early learning programming. Not only does Wendy have thoughtful ideas for learning and play elements, but she also employs her woodworking skills to build the components as well. Wendy constructed an indoor climbing structure and light table from scratch for the centre in her personal time.

Wendy’s gentle and engaging nature invites students into creative learning and extending themselves beyond their comfort zones. The children she works with have described her as sweet, patient and loving.

Congratulations, Wendy, on your drive to continuously improve and expand childhood education through original innovation!

2023 Early Learning and Child Care Summit to be held in Vancouver on October 13, 2023

The 2023 Early Learning and Child Care Summit will take place on October 13, 2023 in Vancouver at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. The theme for this Summit is “Supporting a Child Care Eco-System.”

Representatives from the child care sector have been invited to attend alongside business, municipal and community leaders to talk about innovative ways of improving child care services across the province.

Child care professionals have been instrumental in shaping the development and ongoing implementation of the 10-year ChildCareBC plan. Through valuable discussion, engagement, feedback and participation in various programs, we have been able to reach a number of significant milestones together. More than 76,000 families now receive fee reductions of up to $900 per month per child through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative; and more than 12,700 spaces are available in $10 a day ChildCareBC Centres.

Significant progress has been made towards building a child care system in which all families have access to quality, inclusive child care and we are looking forward to building on these achievements and expanding partnerships through the latter-half of the ChildCareBC plan. This Summit is the next step in the ongoing dialogue around early learning and child care in B.C. that will have lasting impacts within the broader child care sector and communities for years to come.

Changes to the BC Provincial Nominee Program Skills Immigration Stream

The BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is an economic immigration program that helps the province select and nominate foreign workers, international students, and entrepreneurs to help meet B.C.’s labour market needs, support government priorities, and help grow B.C.’s economy.

Effective August 1, the application fee for the Skills Immigration stream will increase by $325. The new fee to apply is $1,475.

The fee increase will be used to enhance program delivery and ensure the program can continue to deliver services and supports. The enhancements are focused on:

Increased support for employers and clients to navigate the BC PNP and federal immigration processes.
Increased support for nominees to obtain or extend work permits until permanent residency is secured.
Expanded collaboration with community partners to attract talent to regional areas of the province.
Targeted joint international recruitment of skilled workers in priority areas of labour shortage.
Improved program integrity through fraud risk management and anti-fraud investigative work.

For more information, visit the BC Provincial Nominee Program website.

2023 Meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Meeting for Ministers Most Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care

Minister of Education and Child Care, Rachna Singh, and Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore gathered with Ministers Most Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care from across Canada in Iqaluit, Nunavut on July 13, 2023.

The event was co-hosted by Canada’s outgoing Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould and Minister Natalie Jameson, Prince Edward Island’s Minister of Education and Early Years and Minister responsible for the Status of Women.

The meeting focused on governments’ progress in the early learning and child care sector and ways to strengthen the system in areas such as recruitment, retention and recognition, and improved working conditions and compensation for sector professionals. Ministers also reflected on successes achieved to date through the $27-billion federal investment in child care alongside provincial and territorial funding to boost the sector.

More information about the meeting is available in this Government of Canada News Release.

Child care funding programs and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was created to remember the Indigenous children who never came home, to commemorate the history and legacy of the residential school system, and to honour the resilience, dignity and strength of survivors and intergenerational survivors.

The following information is for child care providers participating in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative:

As with all statutory holidays, if your child care centre is closed, do not claim enrolment on that day. Child Care Operating Funding Base Funding is only paid for days when a centre is open and operating. Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative rates are calculated based on the number of business days in each month to ensure stable monthly reductions for families.
If your child care centre is open and operating, claim enrolment as you normally would on your monthly enrolment report.

To ensure Early Childhood Educators, including those at $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres, receive the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, child care providers will be able to claim the wage enhancement for hours paid to employees on the holiday even if they are closed.

While child care providers typically do not claim the wage enhancement for statutory holidays, this change has been made as the holiday was not included in 2023/24 statutory benefits funding amounts. Updated Funding Agreement Schedules and information about claiming wage enhancement on the holiday will be sent to providers in late August. Funding Guidelines will also be updated and available on the ministry website by the end of August.

Child care providers caring for school age children in receipt of the Affordable Child Care Benefit can request an adjustment for a higher rate of payment if the centre is open and operational for the statutory holiday. The ministry website will update its Affordable Child Care Benefit page and forms, later in August, to reflect this change.

Edition 65, July 26, 2023

Check out the new and enhanced ChildCareBC fee estimator

The estimator is intended to be used as a guide only and is not a guarantee of payment.

Don’t forget! Families need to renew their Affordable Child Care Benefit for September 2023 payment

The ACCB is a monthly payment to help eligible families with the cost of child care. Factors like income, family size and type of care determine how much support families can receive.

ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence spotlight: Amy Mueller

Amy Mueller is the recipient of the 2023 ChildCareBC Award for Emerging Leader for her outstanding work at the Vanderhoof branch of the YMCA BC. Amy has been working at the Y since November 2020, and was nominated for her tireless work to improve parent communication, creating unity and collaboration between the community and her organization, and providing inclusive compassionate leadership.

Amy has taken on a role that sees her as a bridge between her organization and the parents and staff. She actively works to support the needs of the children and families who rely on the facility for child care, demonstrating empathy and leadership. Her ability to support and develop staff while also overseeing the quality of care provided by her team, makes her a clear choice as an emerging leader. Congratulations, Amy!

Amy Mueller and Honourable Grace Lore Minister of State for Child Care

Victoria’s Cridge Centre for the Family celebrates 150 years

On July 11, Minister of State Grace Lore joined Janet Austin, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, in celebrating the Cridge Centre for the Family’s 150th anniversary.

Opened in 1873 by founders Bishop Edward Cridge and his wife Mary, the Cridge Centre for the Family provides a range of community services that continue to this day. These range from child care to young parent outreach, to senior services as well as supporting survivors of intimate violence and brain injuries. Other services include assisting children with complex needs and their families. Congratulations to the Cridge Centre for the Family on this milestone!

Edition 64, July 4, 2023

$10 a Day ChildCareBC Program expansion coming in the Summer and Fall of 2023

The $10 a Day ChildCareBC Program is one of the key ways government is making licensed child care more affordable for families, and we are expanding the number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres in 2023 through an expression of interest process. Approximately 50 more centres and 2,400 spaces will be added in communities throughout B.C., which will result in a total of more than 15,000 spaces by the end of the year.

Newly added centres to the program will be located in communities that do not yet have access to the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program or have a low number of $10 a Day spaces compared to their region’s population density. Government is using a targeted approach for this expansion, which will help establish more $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces faster than our previous open intakes.

All regions of the province and all types of licensed child care operators are represented in the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program, including rural and urban areas, not-for-profits, home-based and sole proprietors, corporations, public institutions, and Indigenous-led child care programs.

There may be more opportunities to join the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program in the future and information will be made available as opportunities arise.

Child Care Awards of Excellence spotlight: Rechelle Patrick

Rechelle Patrick is the recipient of the 2023 Child Care Award of Excellence for Child Care Leadership for her outstanding service to the small community of the N’Quatqua First Nation. Rechelle began working at the N’Quatqua Children and Family Development Centre in 2020, and was nominated for her enthusiasm, professionalism, and dedication to child care.

It is through her empathy, creativity, and positive energy that Rechelle has become a favourite of her colleagues and the children she cares for. She also helps to foster a love and understanding of culture in her work. Although Rechelle did not grow up in the community, she embraces cultural learning and can often be seen speaking the Ucwalmícwts language, singing the songs, and sharing the stories in her classroom. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to families and children in your community and congratulations on your many achievements, Rechelle!

Celebrating new culturally sensitive child care spaces

On June 26, Minister of State Grace Lore celebrated the ground blessing of a new child care centre in Colwood, alongside the Hulitan Family and Community Services Society and School District 62 representatives.

The centre will be built on the territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples, the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations – on the current grounds of Colwood Elementary – and will provide culturally sensitive services to the Indigenous community

It is expected to open in 2025 and will offer 73 licensed child care spaces with wraparound services. The centre will also support 25 spaces for before- and after-school care at Colwood Elementary.

Special Bulletin - PRIDE, June 30, 2023

PRIDE 2023 Special Resource Bulletin

People throughout British Columbia and across Canada will come together this summer for Pride 2023 in support of equal human rights for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and to celebrate and reflect on 2SLGBTQIA+ culture and history.

ChildCareBC is building child care as a core service that supports child care providers and early childhood professionals to welcome all families and support all children to belong. Inclusive child care strives to celebrate the diverse identities and inherent gifts of all staff, families, and children.

We have compiled a list of resources that we hope are helpful in creating inclusive child care environments and supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ staff members, family members and friends. As children grow into young adults, they may have questions about their gender identity and sexual orientation, and child care professionals working in the sector may also have questions and welcome further support in having these conversations.

If you or a friend are experiencing discrimination or harassment related to sexual orientation or gender identity, get help here.

Two-Spirit resources

“Two-Spirit” is a term used within some Indigenous communities, encompassing cultural, spiritual, sexual and gender identity. The term reflects complex Indigenous understandings of gender roles, spirituality, and the long history of sexual and gender diversity in Indigenous cultures.

The following resources are available to support Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQIA+ youth, families and allies.

Trans Care BC – Provides a list of Indigenous focused 2SLGBTQIA+ local groups and initiatives in addition to resources though Trans Care BC.
Indigenous Perspectives Society Centre of Excellence in Community Education – Offers the course “Coming In: Peer Ally-ship with Two Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQI Youth,” and participants can register to attend the July 24 session.
Urban Native Youth Association 2-Spirit Collective – Information, programming and resources for Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ Indigenous youth aged 15-30, as well for those who are questioning their sexual or gender identities.

Inclusion resources for child care providers and early childhood professionals

The following resources are available to help child care providers and early childhood professionals create inclusive environments in which all staff, families and children are supported to belong.

Foundations of Inclusive Child Care Training – Geared toward child care providers, early childhood professionals and others in the child care sector, this free course provides an overview of inclusive practices and strategies and is worth 12 Pro-D hours.
Inclusive Child Care Toolkit – A user-friendly resource that helps child care providers and early childhood professionals reflect and expand on their understanding of inclusion in child care programs.
British Columbia’s Early Learning Framework – Early childhood professionals play a pivotal role in creating classrooms that are welcoming of all families and children, including those with diverse gender expressions and identities. The Early Learning Framework highlights gender and sexuality throughout in creating inclusive, high-quality child care services.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Inclusive Education – A resource for educators that can support the creation of inclusive spaces for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities and help reduce discrimination.
Westcoast Early Learning Library (WELL) – Part of the Westcoast Child Care Resource and Referral Centre, WELL offers access to a collection of books, articles and resources, including those related to gender identity and sexual orientation.

2SLGBTQIA+ resources for families and individuals

B.C.’s Gender equity and 2SLGBTQ+ resources web page – A comprehensive resource that can help families navigate government services, such as access to education and training, healthcare and gender affirming care, affordable housing and other helpful information.
Egale Canada – Egale strives to “improve the lives of 2SLGBTQI people in Canada and to enhance the global response to 2SLGBTQI issues,” by “informing public policy, inspiring cultural change, and promoting human rights and inclusion through research, education, awareness and legal advocacy.”
Egale has a tip sheet for Adults on Supporting 2SLGBTQI Youth with links to additional resources including Supporting Your Gender Diverse Child and Supporting Your Intersex Child.
Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians (PFLAG) – An all-volunteer charitable organization founded by parents, who can assist families during the “coming-out” process. There are local chapters across British Columbia and online family friendly resources. A help line is available by dialing 1-888-530-6777 (extension 224).
It Gets Better Canada – Focuses on storytelling and building community as ways to “uplift, empower, and connect Two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (2SLGBTQ+) youth across Canada.”

Action Plans

Government of Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan – A five-year action plan that “aims to advance rights, improve social, economic and health outcomes for 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians.”

Special Bulletin - Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21, 2023

National Indigenous Peoples Day

Today, we are celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day with a special edition of the ChildCareBC Bulletin to share stories of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, an early learning and child care programs and professionals who are doing amazing work recognizing the history, rich culture and diversity of Indigenous People throughout the province and across the country.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care is committed to working with and alongside First Nations, Métis and Inuit People and Partners to support culturally based child care to meet their distinct needs. The organizations and individuals profiled in this bulletin are just a few examples of the great work being done to support Indigenous children and families throughout British Columbia. We would also like to acknowledge the work of First Nations, Métis and Inuit early learning and child care professionals for their continued dedication to families in their communities.

Through the ChildCareBC Plan, the Province is building affordable, accessible, quality, inclusive child care as a core service that families can rely on. Since 2018, the New Spaces Fund has approved more than $95 million to support 50 projects creating 2,251 spaces at facilities owned by Indigenous governments and Indigenous not-for-profit organizations throughout B.C.

Facility Spotlight: Little Badgers Early Learning Programs

Little Badgers Early Learning Programs is a nature-based early learning centre on the ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation outside Windermere. Little Badgers offers day care, preschool, out-of-school care, as well as summer day camp programs, and is part of the $10 a Day ChildCareBC Program and Aboriginal Head Start program. Little Badgers received the 2023 ChildCareBC Award of Excellence for Inclusive Practices, recognizing their leadership in providing a learning environment that is reflective of the diversity of children and families participating in the program.

Little Badgers was opened in 2007 and is managed by the Eva Joseph Learning and Cultural Society with an Indigenous board of directors. Their vision is "building and creating a society to foster and promote lifelong learning and cultural connection to all living things." The centre supports Indigenous children, francophone children, families of young or single parents, and children with extra support needs. An inclusive child care support consultant noted that they "often make reference to this team as [their] benchmark of inclusion excellence" due to their developmentally appropriate practice and programming rooted in diversity.

Little Badgers has shared some of the ways they support their educators to integrate culture into their programs. Here is what General Manager Carrie Rickards had to say:

“We have made it a practice for all our team members to partake in yearly Indigenous awareness training. Some of the training we have done includes visiting St. Eugene, a former residential school. They offer opportunities to learn about the Ktunaxa people, their everyday life, and their renowned horsemanship and canoe-making skills. They also share the personal stories of the students who were forced to leave their families and attend the Residential School. We also cover our team members to complete other training like the 4 Seasons of Reconciliation through the Outdoor Learning Store and Reconciliation Education. Through our Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve program, we have opportunities to learn the language and culture in our day-to-day activities. We encourage everyone to take the responsibility of their own Indigenous awareness training.”

Educator Spotlight: Taylor Parker

Taylor Parker is an early childhood educator at the Comox Valley Aboriginal Head Start. As a Métis Educator, Taylor is the 2023 recipient of the Lenora Pritchard Award of Excellence, which recognizes an Indigenous child care professional who demonstrates passion and commitment to their role.

Taylor is dedicated to supporting First Nations and Métis children and often goes above and beyond in her care. Each month, Comox Valley Aboriginal Head Start focuses on an Indigenous Nation and Taylor uses her creativity to holistically connect the learning theme to an activity. Her colleagues praise the unique and culturally diverse activities she creates for the children, and the leadership she demonstrates in her centre.

To celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, we asked Taylor to share some of the ways she integrates culture into her program:

“This year we tried to focus on a different Indigenous Nation each month. When exploring the Nations, we follow the children's interests and curiosities. We read and listen to stories, invite Elders to share, eat new foods, explore artifacts, and do art projects based on these interests. I really enjoy creating and developing art provocations that can tie into this learning. We painted buffalos and made flags when learning about the Métis, we made inukshuks with watercolours when learning about the Inuit People, and my favourite one was when we let the children choose and create their own animals for their own totems when learning about the Haida culture.”

Featured Indigenous Organizations

Aboriginal Head Start Association of British Columbia

The Aboriginal Head Start Association of British Columbia (AHSABC) is a non-profit society founded in 2001 to support urban Aboriginal Head Start preschool and child care programs. It develops and delivers quality early childhood programming for Indigenous children and their families, and works in collaboration with parents, Elders and program partners. AHSABC currently supports 12 Aboriginal Head Start preschools and 27 Aboriginal Head Start child care programs, which is continuing to grow with support from the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

AHSABC also offers training, professional development and cultural resources that respond to the needs and opportunities in its ongoing programs. These training resources contribute to respectful and culturally relevant programs that reflect the families they reach.

BC Aboriginal Child Care Society

Since 1996, the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS) has provided a variety of services to ensure Indigenous children throughout British Columbia have access to high-quality and culturally based early learning and child care. This includes supports for early childhood educators and helping Indigenous children and families access early learning programs, resources, training tools and community services. BCACCS has established more than 800 licensed child care spaces throughout B.C., including its two Aboriginal Head Start preschools in Vancouver, and operates the provincial Aboriginal Child Care Resource and Referral (ACCRR) program. BCACCS is the Regional First Nations ELCC Coordinating Structure for the development and implementation of the First Nations Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care (IELCC) Framework in B.C. to support capacity development and deliver federal funding. The Jordan’s Principle Enhanced Service Coordination Hub is also hosted by BCACCS, to ensure First Nations children in the province can access the support they need, when they need it. Through their expertise and delivery of culturally based resources and training, BCACCS is a valued partner in championing the rights of Indigenous children.

First Nation Health Authority (FNHA)

The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) is the first and only provincial First Nations health authority in Canada. In 2013, FNHA took responsibility for the programs and services formerly delivered by Health Canada. It collaborates, coordinates, and integrates health programs and services for B.C. First Nations through federal, provincial and other health funding.

FNHA works closely with the Ministry of Education and Child Care to deliver the Aboriginal Head Start On-Reserve child care programs. These programs support the early childhood development for First Nations from birth to age six and offer wraparound services for their families. FNHA builds partnerships with other community programs and services to encourage parents and the broader First Nations community to play a role. FNHA also partners with Government of Canada to administer the Aboriginal Head Start On-Reserve (AHSOR) early years programs.

Métis Nation BC

Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) represents 39 chartered communities throughout British Columbia and advocates for over 98,000 self-identified Métis in the province. They promote the healthy growth and development of children and families with the goal of implementing the Métis Nation ELCC Framework to create and enhance early learning programs and supports, which are anchored in Métis culture and responsive to the unique needs of children and families.

MNBC provides programs and initiatives that are available to Métis families throughout the province such as Métis Family Connections, which is focused on helping families build a network of support that provides children with opportunities for early learning and childhood development, including access to the Métis Child Care Benefit, and the Miyoopimatishihk (Wellbeing) program, which provides funding to support the healthy development of our early learners.

Métis citizens may be eligible to access funding for early childhood education and the wrap-around supports needed to succeed in their education including the Early Childhood Educator Supplement, and an Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia (ECEBC), paid membership.

Edition 63, June 14, 2023

A thank you note from Minister of State for Child Care Grace Lore

“I wanted to take a moment and express my gratitude to everyone who joined our inaugural ChildCareBC town hall on May 30. You all have very busy schedules and full days, and I appreciate you taking the time to attend and for sharing your experiences, feedback and questions.

I look forward to connecting and hearing from you at future town halls in the coming months.”

Indigenous History Month and Indigenous Peoples Day

June is Indigenous History Month in Canada and it’s a great opportunity to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, languages, and history of Indigenous Peoples throughout British Columbia and across Canada. Through continued education, everyone can take a step forward on their personal path to reconciliation.

We invite you to explore the Indigenous communities near you using this interactive map and you can download the Reconciliation: A Starting Point app to learn more about Indigenous Peoples in Canada, including key historical events and reconciliation initiatives.

To continue your journey, visit the Government of Canada’s Indigenous History Month Learning Resources website.

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada with events and activities taking place across the country. You can explore events taking place in your community and share your experience on social media with the hashtags #NIPD2023 and #NIPDCanada.

Métis Early Learning and Child Care Appreciation Awards

The annual Métis Early Learning and Child Care Appreciation Awards were held virtually on May 31 by the Métis Nation of BC (MNBC). These awards celebrate early learning and child care professionals for their commitment to providing children and families with cultural learning opportunities.

MNBC welcomed 48 early learning and child care professionals to the event, which honoured 14 nominees for their commitment to delivering learning environments where Métis culture is recognized and celebrated. Two early learning and child care professionals were also chosen as this year’s award recipients for the Métis Early Learning and Child Care Professional Award and the Métis Culture Incorporated into their Learning Environment Award.

Congratulations to Brenna Beattie who received the Early Learning and Child Care Professional Award for her dedication to the inclusion of Michif and Cree culture and language into her curriculum planning; and, to Floarea Stanila who received the Learning Environment Award for her incorporation of Métis culture – such as language, jigging and traditional Métis clothing – into the daily activities at her child care centre.

Child Care Awards of Excellence spotlight: Karen LeSage

Karen LeSage is the recipient of the 2023 Child Care Award of Excellence for Child Care Leadership. She was nominated for her passion in mentoring Early Childhood Educators and for her role working directly with children that have diverse needs.

Karen is an instructor and program chair at Ridge Meadows College, in Maple Ridge. Whether it’s leading a complete refresh of the curriculum, establishing a partnership with Katzie Nation to incorporate Indigenous content, or overseeing the hiring of more than 15 new faculty members, Karen takes a personal, hands-on approach. She also supports her students with professional and personal development and has put supports in place for neurodiverse students.

Prior to her current role, Karen worked as a Supported Child Development consultant for 17 years. In her spare time, she teaches yoga to children with diverse needs. Congratulations on your many achievements, Karen. Thank you for all you do for educators, families, children and your community!

Connecting with child care providers and early childhood educators in New Westminster

On June 5, Minister of State for Child Care Grace Lore participated in a child care providers roundtable organized by Jennifer Whiteside, MLA for New Westminster. The pair connected with a diverse range of child care operators and educators who offer in-home, multi-age, group, preschool and school-age care. Participants shared their perspectives and experiences in providing child care in the growing community.

Edition 62, May 31, 2023

Celebrating the ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence

The 2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence ceremony took place in person on Saturday, May 27, at the Radisson Hotel in Richmond. Grace Lore, Minister of State for Child Care hosted the event, which honoured 12 child care professionals for their outstanding achievements and contributions across eight award categories. Additionally, 28 child care facilities with more than 40 years of service received the Child Care Legacy Award recognizing the generations of families they have supported. Ministry staff and guests were also in attendance.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to those who took the time to nominate their peers, organizations and partners. The dedication of all this years’ winners and nominees to B.C. families and children’s development is critical in shaping the generations to come – and for this, we are truly grateful.

A video of the ceremony and a profile of each award winner will be shared in future editions of the ChildCareBC bulletin and posted on the ChildCareBC website.

Child Care Month – That’s a wrap!

Today marks the end of Child Care Month and we hope you’ve all taken the opportunity to celebrate your hard work, dedication and your countless contributions to your communities! Minister Lore visited a number of facilities throughout the province, announcing program expansions for Seamless Day in Oliver, visited Aboriginal Head Starts and new child care centres in rural and remote Indigenous communities, learned about the integration of child care on school grounds in Smithers, addressed attendees at the Early Childhood Educators of BC Conference (ECEBC), participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new francophone centre in Langley, and held a number of provider roundtables throughout the province.

The ministry organized a book drive for the 1000x5 campaign – a children’s literacy program in Greater Victoria. Over 300 books were donated, and a celebratory book reading was hosted by ADM Patti Boyle to mark the occasion.

Child Care Division staff also created a children’s recipe book of their favourite dishes from when they were kids.

As we move out of Child Care Month, the Ministry of Education and Child Care continues to share its appreciation for the wonderful child care professionals in B.C. and the important work that you do every day. We reflect fondly on our work together, bringing inclusive, affordable and quality child care to families across the province.

Watch Premier David Eby’s town hall

On May 25, Premier David Eby answered questions at a town hall held at Camosun College in Victoria, and hosted by Grace Lore, Minister of State for Child Care. The town hall was an opportunity to discuss some of the most pressing challenges in British Columbia, including child care, cost of living, housing, and healthcare. Over 100 community members and stakeholders were in attendance and had the opportunity to personally ask Premier Eby questions on these topics.

The Premier spoke about recent efforts to bring child care into the Ministry of Education and efforts to move away from a standalone system of child care to one that is better integrated with schools. He also reflected on how women led the way in returning to the work force in post-pandemic, how child care disproportionately falls on women, and he also made the case for child care as an economic program.

Minister Lore spoke about recent ChildCareBC successes, including the reduction of child care fees, investments in new child care spaces, and expanding the number of post-secondary seats and available bursaries for students studying early childhood education. Lore also touched on the ministry’s ongoing work related to the development of a wage grid for the sector.

A recording of the Town Hall Event with Premier David Eby is available on the Government of British Columbia’s YouTube channel. Viewers can scroll to the 40:28 minute mark to listen to the question posed on child care. Thank you to ECEBC, the BC Family Child Care Association, members of the Provincial Child Care Council, and many other child care partners for attending the event.

Learn about Minister of State for Child Care Grace Lore’s inaugural town hall

Minister Lore hosted the inaugural ChildCareBC townhall, held virtually on Tuesday May 30. This was the first session of its kind, with more than 300 people from the child care sector in attendance.

Participants were given the opportunity to ask Minister Lore questions on a wide range of topics ranging from ECE recruitment and retention, to affordability, space creation, child care, and the economy. She also shared her personal perspective, reflecting on the celebratory events that took place during Child Care Month.

“I want to thank everyone who joined us – thank you for taking the time out of your evening after what I am sure were busy days and for sharing with me your perspectives,” Lore said. “Hearing directly from the front line of child care is so important for us and to inform the work before us.”

Going forward, ChildCareBC townhall events will take place on a quarterly basis. More information on registration for future sessions will be made available closer to the next date.

If you were unable to attend the town hall, the session was recorded and is posted to the Early Learning and Child Care Engagement web page.

The 2023-24 Provider Profile Survey is open now!

Have you filled out your Child Care Provider Profile survey? Child care providers receiving Child Care Operating Funding or $10 a Day ChildCareBC funding were emailed a unique link to the survey with a deadline of June 30, 2023. The survey takes approximately 45 minutes to complete and is a requirement of the 2023-24 Funding Agreements. This is an important tool to understand trends in licensed child care and assist with policy and program development to support our ChildCareBC Plan.

Edition 61, May 17, 2023

Register now for the Minister of State’s child care townhall

On May 30, 2023, early learning and child care professionals are invited to join Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore, for an inaugural virtual townhall. The townhall will be an opportunity to celebrate Child Care Month, discuss child care in B.C. — including progress made and work still to do, and hear from those who do the invaluable work of caring for and supporting our children at one of the most important point in their lives. Minister Lore will be providing remarks and answering questions from attendees. Register for the event on the Early Learning and Child Care Engagement page.

Getting Closer: ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence on May 27

Congratulations to the nominees for this year’s provincial child care awards and thank you to those who took the time to nominate their peers, organizations and partners who went above and beyond. All the nominees represent exceptional support or delivery of early care and learning services in British Columbia.

The 2023 awards ceremony will be hosted by Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore, on May 27 in Richmond. More information about the ceremony and profiles on award winners will be shared in future editions of the ChildCareBC bulletin and posted on the ChildCareBC website.

British Columbia celebrates Child Care Provider Appreciation Day

Child Care Provider Appreciation Day was celebrated on May 12, 2023, and recognizes the many contributions of child care professionals and providers that benefit children and families in B.C. Watch Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore’s, video message to the sector and read her member’s statement about this important day.

Seamless Day kindergarten pilot expansion

On May 15, 2023, at a celebration at Oliver Elementary in the Okanagan-Similkameen school district, Minister of Education and Child Care, Rachna Singh, and Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore, announced that the Seamless Day kindergarten pilot will expand. The province provided $3 million in the 2022-23 school year to add 20 classrooms expanding the pilot to 45 classrooms throughout the province. In 2023-24, $4.1 million in new funding will be provided to support the Seamless Day Kindergarten pilot.

Seamless Day Kindergarten integrates before - and after-school care into the kindergarten classroom, delivered by certified early childhood educators that work alongside the classroom teacher. The pilot makes the best use of available school space, existing classrooms, outdoors, school gyms, and libraries outside of school hours.

Métis Nation British Columbia receives funding for new distinctions-based child care

Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) has received funding through the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement to create new distinctions-based child care spaces. The funding will help improve access to culturally relevant child care for Métis children and families.

Part of the ChildCareBC Plan is to create an affordable system of child care that families can rely on as a core service; one that is culturally safe and inclusive for children of all backgrounds and abilities, so they get the best possible start on their early learning journey.

Distinctions-based child care recognizes the unique needs of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples that enhances cultural safety for Indigenous children. Learn more about ChildCareBC's cultural safety and inclusion.

Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia Conference

On May 11-13, 2023, early childhood educators (ECEs) from around the province gathered for the 52nd Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia conference, held both in-person in Richmond and online. ECEs gathered for workshops and presentations to connect over a variety of different topics. Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore, provided opening remarks on Friday, May 12, and in partnership with the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future skills, announced that the Province is providing $16 million in funding over three years to continue expanding seats in ECE training programs throughout B.C. as a part of the Future Ready Action Plan.

Register now for the Métis Nation of BC Appreciation Gathering

On May 31, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. PST, join the Métis Nation of BC for a virtual Appreciation Gathering to celebrate early learning and child care professionals for their commitment to providing children and families with cultural learning opportunities. Each nominee will be gifted for their dedication to Métis culturally inclusive programming, and an additional two nominees will receive an award for their hard work and dedication. Tickets for the event are available online. If you are interested in joining this virtual event, please contact metisearlyyears@mnbc.ca for more information.

French language child care centre opens in Langley

On May 12, Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore, and Andrew Mercier, MLA for Langley, joined francophone families in Langley to celebrate the opening of Garderie Les aventuriers — a new French-language child care centre at École des Voyageurs.

The new child care centre features approximately 40 licensed spaces, including before- and after-school care, and care for children from 30 months to five years old. The centre was made possible through $1.3 million in funding for Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF) from the Province’s 2021 Rapid Renovation Fund.

With thanks to CSF and Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique, francophone children in Langley are now benefiting from child care that will deepen connections to their culture and enrich their learning.

Edition 60, May 4, 2023

May is Child Care Month

Child Care Month is an opportunity to celebrate the work of yourself and the thousands of caring and committed child care providers, early childhood educators, and child care professionals throughout British Columbia.

The Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore, has written a letter to the sector to mark this important time of the year.

Province recognizing Child Care Month

To help recognize Child Care Month, Grace Lore, Minister of State for Child Care, has posted the following video on how she’ll be celebrating this month. MLA Katrina Chen also posted a video of herself reading a statement in the legislature in recognition of Child Care Month.

Provincial plan will increase early childhood education spaces in B.C. by 50%

British Columbia’s new StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan, announced by Premier David Eby and Minister Selina Robinson on May 2, 2023, will increase the number of early childhood education spaces by 50 per cent.

More than 400 new early childhood education opportunities will be made available – resulting in over 1,300 new training opportunities.

The $480-million action plan will help thousands of people gain new skills and support businesses by reducing the skills gap that many are facing. A future skills grant of up to $3,500 will help cover training costs and will be made available to British Columbians starting in September 2023.

Child Care Provider Appreciation Day

British Columbia is joining the majority of North America in celebrating Child Care Appreciation Day on May 12. Thank you to everyone who took part in our open survey earlier this year, to determine which date you would prefer.

The B.C. Legislature has proclaimed the official day, as part of government’s ongoing recognition of Child Care Month events and awareness. We look forward to celebrating B.C.’s child care professionals with you this month, and we’d love to hear your stories on how you marked the day! Send photos and a short summary (200 words or less) to ChildCareBC.Engagement@gov.bc.ca for a chance to be featured in an upcoming edition of the bulletin.

Minister of State for Child Care to host town hall video chat during Child Care Month

To wrap up Child Care Month, Grace Lore, Minister of State for Child Care, will host the inaugural ChildCareBC town hall forum on May 30 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. The virtual session will be open to the child care sector, and participants will be able to submit questions and feedback directly to the Minister.

Additional details on the townhall, including the link to attend, will soon be available on our Early learning and child care engagement page and it will be included in our next edition of the ChildCareBC bulletin.

Edition 59, April 21, 2023

CCOF/CCFRI/ECE-WE renewal update

Did you know that you can check for the most up-to-date status of your Child Care Operating Funding renewal using My ChildCareBC Services?

Eligible renewing providers who have not requested an April fee increase above the 3% annual fee increase limit have been offered full or temporary approval for continued funding beginning April 1.

Providers requesting an April fee increase have the opportunity to defer their scheduled increase in order to ensure families can continue receiving the savings through the fee reductions until their applications can be assessed.

As a reminder, April 30 is the last day to renew funding agreements for April 2023. Providers seeking to renew their funding agreements for 2023-24 must do so using My ChildCareBC Services.

A personal note from Minister Grace Lore

I want to express my sincere gratitude to child care providers throughout the province who are partnering with us to bring down the cost of child care for families through our funding programs, either again or for the first time. We know these savings have life-changing impacts on families. While I know the majority of providers have completed the process, I appreciate that others are still in process. We are intensely focused on working with you to complete these last few applications! Thank you for your patience and for sharing your experience. It helps us to improve ChildCareBC as we work to build child care as a core service that families can depend on.

Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement update

Eligible renewing providers requesting to participate in the ECE-WE will receive written approval from the ministry by the end of April. Providers approved to participate may submit monthly ECE reports starting the first day of the month immediately following the applicable reporting month. For example, for April, approved providers may submit their monthly ECE report(s) through the ECE Reporting Tool starting May 1.

Payments are calculated based on the total number of hours worked each month, which is why ECE-WE is reported and paid after the end of each month.

New Provincial Child Care Council members

The Provincial Child Care Council is welcoming eight new members to its important, ongoing work in advising government on its 10-year ChildCareBC Plan: Calvin Tse, Cynthia Page, Danielle Sayers-Jimeno, Jessica Liu, Julia Black, Kirsten Bevelander, and Leslie Louie.

Members of the Provincial Child Care Council are appointed by the Minister of State for Child Care and provide advice on the policies and programs that affect the affordability, quality, stability and accessibility of child care. The council provides a diverse range of perspectives, including child care providers, school districts, child care advocacy groups, early childhood educators, early care and learning academics, labour unions, business, local government, and post-secondary education.

Learn more about the new members joining the Provincial Child Care Council. Thank you to everyone who applied during this appointment period and expressed interest in the Province’s work in child care.

Edition 58, March 30, 2023

Le Cercle des Canadiens Français de Prince George wins the B.C. Francophonie Day Award

At the recent celebration for B.C. Francophonie Day (proclaimed as March 20), members of government and the francophone community gathered to recognize the significant contributions francophone organizations in B.C. make in helping francophone newcomers feel welcomed, settled, and integrated in the province.

At the celebration, the B.C. Francophonie Day Award was awarded to Le Cercle des Canadiens Français de Prince George (The French Canadian Association of Prince George) for its Welcoming Francophone Community Initiative. The association offers a wide range of activities and services to support the francophone community, including a French preschool program, Le Coin des Petits (The Children’s Corner). The preschool provides children an introduction to the French language environment through francophone and French immersion classes.

2023 Ministry of Education and Child Care Annual Service Plan Report is available now

The Ministry of Education and Child Care Annual Service Plan Report is now available. Under the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act, each ministry is required to issue an annual report. In the report, the Minister documents the results of the ministry’s performance related to the to the forecasted targets from the previous year’s service plan.

Minister Grace Lore visits culturally safe and inclusive child care centres

On March 14, Minister of State for Child Care Grace Lore toured three culturally safe and inclusive child care centres in Greater Victoria. The tour began at the Victory Hill Daycare – a Black-led centre in Victoria that currently provides spaces for 24 children with hopes of expanding in the future. The second stop on the tour took place at the CTots Childhood Education Centre. Here, children learn to connect with Jewish culture and traditions while receiving care. The tour concluded with a visit to the Little Phoenix Child Care Centre where the focus is on trauma-informed care.

Culturally safe and inclusive child care centres are an important part of the 10-year ChildCareBC plan. Together with providers, we’re working to support all families across B.C.

Celebrating the grand opening of the Kolumbia Inn Daycare Society in New Westminster

On behalf of Minister of State for Child Care Grace Lore, Richmond-Queensborough MLA Aman Singh attended the grand opening of the Queensborough Kolumbia Inn Daycare Society (K.I.D.S.) child care centre on March 23. The new center brings 37 licensed child care spaces to the Queensborough community. Congratulations to the City of New Westminster, the Kolumbia Inn Daycare Society and to all our partners that made this centre a reality!

Edition 57, March 17, 2023

Update on annual fee increase approval timelines for the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative

We understand that waiting for approval can be challenging and we appreciate your cooperation and patience. Many providers have already received full or temporary approvals for the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI). The Ministry is on track to meet our expressed timelines for approval and is working as quickly as possible to assess remaining applications. Remaining eligible applications have begun to receive temporary approvals for those with requested fee increases for May or later, or full approvals for CCFRI by March 21, 2023.

Providers can pre-claim for April 2023, by submitting their Enrolment Report, even if they are waiting for CCFRI approval. Once CCFRI approval is in place, payment will be made. As a reminder, providers with fee increases requested for April 2023 that are above the annual fee increase limit cannot be offered temporary approval. However, providers can defer their April fee increases to a later month to ensure that families continue to receive reduced child care fees by resubmitting their fee increase request.

To resubmit a revised fee increase request, contact CCOF@gov.bc.ca and include the name of the organization, the facility ID and the authorized signing authority.

2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence – thank you for your nominations

The ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence were first established in 2008 to honour the outstanding contributions and achievements of individuals, organizations, and child care partners who provide or support the delivery of exceptional early care and learning services.

The nominations for this year’s award are now closed. Thank you for taking the time to submit your nominations, sharing with us the incredible child care work happening in your communities.

Award winners will be invited to attend the 2023 awards ceremony in person, held on May 27, during Child Care Month. More information about the ceremony and the award winners will be shared in future ChildCareBC Bulletins and posted on the ChildCareBC website.

Courses available to support educator well-being in the classroom

The Ministry of Education and Child Care has partnered with MindUP, a not-for-profit organization founded to support whole-child, whole-school, and whole-community positive transformation, to offer courses that support adult well-being. These courses are open to adults working in child care facilities and the K-12 education sector.

Participants will learn about the practice of self-care and mindful teaching through the lens of MindUP’s four pillars – neuroscience, mindful awareness, positive psychology, and social and emotional learning. These courses are self-paced and free to take. Find more information about this program and register at BC Educators MindUP for Life.

Meeting Student Early Childhood Educators

On February 21^st, Minister Grace Lore virtually attended the Okanagan College Early Childhood Educator dual-credit course, where she connected with students from local Kelowna and Oliver high schools. Students shared with Minister Lore their plans to continue their ECE journey at Okanagan College this fall.

On March 10^th, Minister Lore visited students enrolled in the Camosun College ECE dual-credit and Early Learning and Care Diploma programs. The visit began with meeting students in the Indigenous Early Learning and Care cohort, followed by a tour of the on-campus child care facility, and concluded with a meet-and-greet of high school students in the dual-credit program.

With the expansion of dual-credit programs across BC, more post-secondary institutions are collaborating with school districts in introducing students to the early childhood profession.

The Early Childhood Education dual-credit program offers high school students the opportunity to start their post-secondary journey while learning from and working with professionals in the field. Grade 11 and 12 students enrolled in the ECE dual-credit program acquire both high school and post-secondary credits towards their future in early childhood education.

Edition 56, March 1, 2023

2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence – Final call for nominations

The deadline to submit your nomination(s) for the 2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence is this Sunday, March 5 at 11:59 PM.

If you know an individual, organization or child care partnership that deserves recognition for their contributions and achievements, this is your last chance to nominate them for a 2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence. Please submit your nomination to ChildCareBC.Engagement@gov.bc.ca.

Child care savings highlighted in 2023 budget speech

The Province of British Columbia unveiled its budget for the coming fiscal year on February 28, with a focus on delivering more help with everyday costs – especially for families most affected by global inflation.

This includes continued work to make affordable, accessible, quality, inclusive child care a core service that families can depend on. Thousands of B.C. families are already benefiting from lower child care fees through the Affordable Child Care Benefit, the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program and the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI), which saves families up to $900 in savings per child per month.

Budget 2023 confirms more than $2.6 billion in provincial funding over the three-year fiscal plan for ChildCareBC. This includes nearly $200 million over three years for the school-age fee reduction initiative starting in September 2023.

Families with children will also see a 10 per cent increase to the monthly BC Family Benefit starting in July 2023. At the same time, single parents will receive as much as $500 annual top-up to help make ends meet. For a two-parent family with two children, this amounts to as much as an additional $250 per year to help buy food, pay bills, and enrol kids in extracurricular activities. For a single parent with one child, this amounts to an additional $650 per year or almost $12,000 in extra support over 18 years.

An additional $58 million over three years will help expand supports for newcomers and speed up foreign credential recognition for professionals, such as child care workers, as we know there remains a shortage of qualified early childhood educators for the invaluable work they do in the province.

Recognizing and celebrating early learning and child care professionals in B.C.

Early childhood professionals play an integral role in our communities across British Columbia. From creating a safe and supportive educational environment for children to advocating on behalf of them and their families, child care professionals lay a healthy groundwork for our children.

To celebrate and recognize early learning and child care professionals, Minister of State for Child Care Grace Lore attended the inaugural Métis Nation BC's Métis Early Years Conference and the YMCA Child Care Resource and Referral Conference.

On February 24, Minister Lore joined the Métis Nation BC in celebrating their inaugural Métis Early Years Conference. Early learning and child care professionals from around the province gathered to highlight the importance on a distinctions-based approach to child care for Métis families and children in B.C.

On February 25, the YMCA Child Care Resource and Referral marked 31 years of providing families with support and continuing education for child care professionals, with their Early Learning and Child Care Conference in Coquitlam, B.C. The conference offered an opportunity for child care educators to connect and share the newest developments in the field. Minister Lore delivered a welcome address and thanked attendees for their work and impact on child care in B.C.

Edition 55, February 15, 2023

Multi-million dollar investment to support children and families with inclusive child care

An investment of $31.8 million through the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and the Canada-B.C. Early Learning and Child Care Bilateral Agreement will help more children with support needs fully participate in inclusive child care. The funding will be used to increase the number of children who receive supports through the Supported Child Development (SCD) and Aboriginal Supported Child Development (ASCD) programs. The funding will also enable SCD and ASCD programs to focus on building capacity for inclusion, by partnering with child care providers to enable training and mentorship opportunities.

In B.C., Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Supported Development programs offer a range of consulting and support services to children, families and child care providers so that children with support needs can participate in inclusive child care settings. Parents can find a SCD program in their area by asking their child care provider, public health nurse or physician, or by contacting their local Ministry of Children and Family Development Office.

To find an ASCD program that delivers support in a culturally relevant and meaningful way, visit the Aboriginal Supported Child Development website or ask your child care provider, public health nurse or physician.

2023 throne speech

On February 6, 2023, the Honourable Janet Austin, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, delivered the speech from the throne at the opening of the 42nd Parliament of the Province of British Columbia. The Lieutenant Governor outlined government’s plan for the coming spring session, focusing on key issues such as housing, healthcare and the economy, community safety and more.

The Lieutenant Governor also took time to reflect on recent initiatives that have had positive impacts on British Columbians, including increases to the number of child care spaces and the early childhood workforce that have paved the way for the Province to lead the nation in women returning to the work force. She also noted the new child care fee reductions of up to $550 per month, per child in additional savings for children aged kindergarten and under in licensed child care facilities, and the up-coming fee reductions for children in preschool and school age care effective September 2023.

The speech from the throne is available for you to watch on the Province of British Columbia’s YouTube channel and a transcript is available on the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia’s website. On February 28, the Minister of Finance will present the government's budget, which includes B.C.’s three-year fiscal plan, inclusive of economic outlook, revenue, spending, tax measures, and forecasting risks and assumptions.

2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence – call for nominations

The ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence were first established in 2008 to honour the outstanding contributions and achievements of individuals, organizations and child care partners who provide or support the delivery of exceptional early care and learning services.

This year, the award categories have been updated once again to reflect our evolving child care sector and the incredible work of educators, organizations, partners, and staff. If you know an individual, organization or child care partnership that deserves recognition for their contributions and achievements, we invite you to submit a nomination. The deadline to submit your nomination(s) is March 5. There is no limit to the number of different nominations you can submit.

The 2023 awards ceremony will be held in May, during Child Care Month. Detailed information about the ceremony will be shared in future ChildCareBC Bulletins and posted on the ChildCareBC website.

Minister Grace Lore celebrates child care milestones with B.C. communities

Since becoming the Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore had the opportunity to visit providers and child care facilities in communities around BC – including most recently Mayne Island, Cranbrook and Kimberley.

On January 28, the first standalone child care facility on Mayne Island was officially opened! Over 100 attendees including children, families, volunteers and community members gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Family Place. Minister Lore had lots of helping hands for the ribbon cutting, as she and children – many of whom will be attending the daycare – cut the ribbon together!

The Mayne Island Early Childhood Society received $1.31 million in ChildCareBC New Spaces funding in 2020 to build a new child care facility adjacent to the Mayne Island Community Centre and a community garden. The Family Place includes 36 spaces, two multi-age programs with eight children each and 20 new school-aged spaces in a state-of-the-art facility nestled near a lush forest.

On February 2, Minister Lore joined the Rocky Mountain School District for a ground breaking celebration at Marysville Elementary in Kimberley. In partnership with Summit Community Services Society and Columbia Basin Trust, SD No. 6 received $8.8 million in ChildCareBC New Spaces funding to build a standalone child care facility with 148 child care spaces for children ages 0 to 10; comprising of 24 Infant Toddler spaces, 100 pre-school spaces and 24 after-school spaces. Minister Lore looks forward to returning to the Rocky Mountain Childcare Centre upon completion in the summer of 2024. While in the Kootenay’s, Minister Lore also visited several $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre's in Cranbrook and Kimberely and met with providers at a roundtable to discuss their experiences in the child care sector and the needs of the region.

The ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund is accepting applications! For more information on how to apply, visit: ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to be designated as provincial statutory holiday

We are pleased to share that the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will be recognized as an official provincial statutory holiday in BC. September 30 is a day to acknowledge the wrongdoings of the past as we strengthen our relationship with Indigenous people and take meaningful action toward reconciliation.

This will allow more people to commemorate and participate in events that advance reconciliation, learn more about the legacy of the residential school system, and share important conversations with their families, friends and communities.

Workers will be able to observe September 30 with a paid day off according to statutory holiday policy in B.C., including premium rates if required to work.

ChildCareBC funding programs will be updated to add the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday. More information will be provided in the summer.

September 30 is also Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots campaign to honour the healing journeys of residential school survivors and their families. It is an important opportunity to open dialogue on anti-racism and anti-bullying while also encouraging deeper reflection, learning, and dialogue on the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

More information about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day is available on both the British Columbia website and the Government of Canada website.

Edition 54, February 1, 2023

2022 Intake for $10 a Day ChildCareBC

The Government of British Columbia has once again expanded the number of affordable child care spaces throughout the province, with the addition of more than 6,000 $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces for families at 132 additional facilities.

This is part of the Province’s commitment to nearly double the number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces over the past year through the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. As of February 2023, 268 child care facilities, representing more than 12,700 child care spaces have been welcomed into the program since 2018 – surpassing our goal of 12,500 spaces converted through the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program.

The 2022 intake opened on June 20, 2022, and ran through August 18, receiving nearly 400 applications.

All applicants have been notified on the status of their application and we thank those that applied for taking the time to complete and submit their application. Due to the large volume of submissions received, the program is not able to provide feedback on individual applications.

Child care operators that were not selected to become a $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre as part of the 2022 program expansion may have another opportunity to re-apply in the future.

Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative expansion to preschool and school-age care

To ensure more families throughout British Columbia are saving money on child care, fee reductions will be expanded to include children enrolled in licensed preschool and children in Grade 1 and up starting September 1, 2023. Families enrolled in approved Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) facilities will receive fee reductions of up to $145 per child per month.

Visit the ministry website for the 2023-24 Funding Guidelines and the link to the new My ChildCareBC Services platform for child care providers to apply for the 2023-24 funding year. Facilities offering licensed preschool and care for children in Grade 1 and up are encouraged to apply early to ensure child care savings are provided to even more families in time for the next school year. As a reminder, participation in CCFRI is required to access other ChildCareBC funding, including the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE). Eligible facilities that are not participating in CCFRI as of September 1, 2023, including facilities offering preschool and care for children in Grade 1 and up, will no longer be eligible to receive the ECE-WE.

Visit the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative web page for more information.

2023 ChildCareBC Awards of Excellence – Call for nominations open

This year, the award categories have been updated once again to reflect our evolving child care sector and the incredible work of educators, organizations, partners, and staff. If you know an individual, organization or child care partnership that deserves recognition for their contributions and achievements, we invite you to submit a nomination. The deadline to submit your nomination(s) is March 5th. There is no limit to the number of different nominations you can submit.

The 2023 awards ceremony will be held in May, during Child Care Month. Detailed information about the ceremony will be shared in future ChildCareBC Bulletins and posted on the ChildCareBC website.

Child Care Provider Appreciation Day – open survey

Child Care Provider Appreciation Day celebrates the work of child care professionals caring for children during their integral early development years.

To help us decide when this important day should be in 2023 and going forward, ChildCareBC is looking for your input! This is an important day to celebrate B.C.’s hardworking child care professionals, so you should have a say in when it happens.

We invite all child care professionals, providers, staff, parents, and the greater child care community to vote for their preferred day through this one question survey by Wednesday, February 8. The results will be shared in a future ChildCareBC Bulletin and the chosen day will be announced through an official proclamation in the coming months.

Surrey New Spaces Fund announcement

On January 24^th, Rachna Singh, Minister for Education and Child Care joined School District 36 at Panorama Park Elementary to announce the creation of 290 new child care spaces for school-aged children in Surrey through the New Spaces Fund. This means that hundreds of Surrey students will have child care on their school grounds making life easier for busy parents and giving them the peace of mind. The Surrey School District received approximately $186,000 through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund to help with the creation of child care on Surrey school grounds. The new child care spaces are located at nine elementary schools in School District 36 throughout Surrey. Some of these spaces are still available for families. Families can register through YMCA BC: https://onehsn.com/ymcagv/ux_2_0

Edition 53, January 19, 2023

Reminders for providers participating in CCFRI

Effective December 1, 2022, facilities participating in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) are able to annually raise their fees by a maximum of 3% of their service delivery area’s median child care fee, with limited exceptions. A reminder that these fee increases must be approved by Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) prior to being implemented at your facility.

Please also keep in mind, that providers cannot begin charging a fee for services that were previously included in their regular monthly fees. This means that additional services offered to families must be new items that had not already been provided as part of the overall services provided under a monthly parent fee.

For more information about the December 2022 changes, please visit the frequently asked questions.

Provider information session for 2023/24 Funding Agreement Renewals

It’s time to start funding agreement renewals for the upcoming 2023/24 funding term!

Licensed providers have received an invitation to join us on January 23rd for one of two information sessions, one in the afternoon and an evening presentation covering changes that will come into effect for the 2023/24 funding term, including:

how to renew your application for CCOF, the CCFRI and the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE)
changes to 2023/24 CCFRI Funding Guidelines
the expansion of the CCFRI to preschool and school-age care categories
an enhanced Program Confirmation Form through a new platform for providers to submit applications, supporting documents and more

Edition 52, January 4, 2023

Updated resource pages for early childhood professionals and New Spaces Fund

The ChildCareBC page for early childhood professionals has a new look! Based on feedback we have received from the child care community and early learning sector, the Support for Early Childhood Professionals page has been updated to better reflect the current initiatives and services available.

Prospective and current early childhood professionals can find information on becoming a certified ECE, applying for ECE education bursaries, receiving the ECE wage enhancement, accessing professional development opportunities, engaging with the sector and government, and more.

We have also created the New Spaces Fund resource page to better support you through the planning phases of your project and applying for the fund. It includes what to consider before starting a project, best practices, building standards, licensing requirements and more.

This collection of helpful resources, which are created by government and other stakeholders, can assist applicants in the planning process for creating licensed child care spaces. They are meant as a general guide rather than a single rule book.

Professional development opportunity for early childhood professionals

UBC’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration in Autism (CIRCA) has created a new inclusive child care program for child care providers, early childhood professionals, parents and more. The program is free of charge, and includes four self-paced, interactive, online modules on practical strategies to support young children with developmental disabilities, including autism, in the early child care setting.

Upon completion of all four modules, learners will receive a Certificate of Completion. Visit the CIRCA UBC website for more information and to register.

Engagement opportunity: Child Care Resource and Referral program

To engage the child care community and sector and receive feedback on the Child Care Resource and Referral program (CCRR), the ministry will be posting a Request for Information (RFI) and holding a Discovery Day session in January.

The purpose of the RFI is to seek information from current and prospective service providers to better understand what capabilities and capacity the sector has to support priorities for the ChildCareBC plan. Please note that the RFI is not a formal procurement, nor is it a binding process for service providers.

The Discovery Day session will facilitate two-way dialogue between service providers and the ministry, where providers will have an opportunity to review questions from the ministry and pose clarifying questions on written responses to the RFI questions.

For more information on how to participate, please refer to the Notice to Vendors on the BC Bid website.

Decriminalizing people who use drugs and impacts on child care facilities in B.C.

As of January 31, 2023, adults aged 18 and over will be allowed to possess small amounts of illicit substances for personal use (up to 2.5 g cumulative of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA) without having their drugs seized or being subject to arrest or charges for simple possession.

Please note this policy change does not apply while on the premises of licensed child care facilities or K-12 schools, where possession of illicit substances will continue to carry a criminal penalty, regardless of the amount.

Decriminalization is one tool in B.C.’s accelerated overdose response plan. The federal government granted this exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act for an initial three-year period.

2022 Archive

Edition 51, December 21, 2022

Dear Child Care Partners:

I would like to wish all providers and partners in the child care sector a warm and happy holiday season and all the best for 2023.

Thank you for all the support and critical work you do throughout the year. Your care, your advocacy, and your commitment to the families you serve changes and improves the lives of children, parents, and communities across our province; as a parent, I know it firsthand.

You are vital to delivering quality, inclusive, and affordable child care, and making this sector a core service that B.C. families can count on.

I am excited and honoured to be named the new Minister of State for Child Care. I have big shoes to fill – my colleague and friend, Katrina Chen, made tremendous progress working alongside you on the ChildCareBC Plan since it began in 2018. I’ll also be working closely with my colleague Rachna Singh, the new Minister of Education and Child Care, on expanding child care on school grounds and increasing savings for families with school-aged children in the new year.

I’d like to take this time to look back at our collective achievements in 2022:

An important milestone was reached in May 2022 when British Columbia surpassed 30,500 new child care spaces funded since the launch of ChildCareBC in 2018
The federal and provincial government invested more than $290 million into the 2022-23 New Spaces Fund to create at least 8,400 new licensed child care spaces in high-need areas throughout B.C. over the next year. The current intake is open until January 2023
The $10 a Day ChildCareBC Program expanded to over 10,500 spaces as of December 1, with more spaces anticipated early in 2023 to achieve our commitment of 12,500 spaces province-wide
Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) provided enhanced savings to families of up to $900 per month, per child, and significantly increased CCFRI provider payments for participating child care providers, effective December 1, 2022
Early Childhood Educator recruitment and retention has grown with the help of ECE dual-credit programs in 30 school districts, the ECE Education Support Fund and the ECE Wage Enhancement
In partnership with First Nations Health Authority and Aboriginal Head Start Association of BC, approximately 1,500 Aboriginal Head Start no-fee child care spaces are anticipated in 2022-23, providing culturally based child care and wraparound supports
Expansion of the Just B4 early learning school-based pilot program from one to six school districts
And many, many more

I would like to acknowledge and thank First Nations, Métis and Inuit people and partners, and those child care providers serving Indigenous children, families, and communities for working together towards reconciliation. This government will continue to work with each of you to achieve our shared goal of making affordable, inclusive, and quality child care a core service that all families throughout British Columbia can rely on.

As a mom of two elementary school children, and as the previous Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, I know child care is key to the economic independence of women and the economic health of families and communities. Gender equity and child care go hand in hand because access to child care allows parents to support themselves and their children by pursuing work, education and other opportunities that continue to disproportionately affect women with children.

I am thankful for the exceptional child care providers in my life. I am grateful to each of you for shaping our next generation and giving families peace of mind knowing their children are in good hands. You are our eyes and ears, and often our voice, as the first point of contact to explain new programs to parents, and to spread the good news of child care supports and savings in the communities in which you live and work. I appreciate your work participating on government advisory groups, child care panels, or taking part in sector-wide surveys. It is through our collective efforts that we will be able to come up with solutions to meet the evolving needs of families.

With gratitude,

Grace Lore
Minister of State for Child Care

Funding Opportunity from the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation

Thanks to support from Heritage Canada, the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation (CCLF) is inviting community-based not-for-profit organizations to apply to be a Community Delivery Partner in the new literacy program Lost & Found: Pandemic Stories of Discovery as Told by Kids in Canada.

Through fun, interactive workshops, kids aged 12 and under can explore their pandemic experiences through writing, art, movement, and oral story-making. These stories from children across the country will be shared in a public online gallery.

Participating organizations are to deliver four workshop hours before February 17, 2023. These workshops can be run by the community organization as a distinct program initiative or as part of their existing programming. CCLF will compensate a select number of organizations for their participation by providing $100 per child participant. Comprehensive workshop kits are available for groups aged 0-6 and 7-12. Organizations interested in the program can apply by visiting the Lost & Found Program Application.

Premier David Eby celebrates new child care savings

Premier David Eby was in Richmond earlier this month, and was joined by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Federal Minister Karina Gould, and former Minister of State for Child Care, Katrina Chen, to announce fee reductions for parents and enhanced CCFRI provider payments for participating child care facilities. They were joined by Reut, mother of three, who is now saving more than $1,000 every month through these new reductions under the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI).

Take a moment to learn about Reut’s story in this video and watch Prime Minister Trudeau highlight the importance of affordable child care in British Columbia.

Edition 50, December 7, 2022

Government announces Cabinet shuffle affecting child care

Earlier today, Premier David Eby announced his new Cabinet at Government House. Among the many changes, Rachna Singh has been appointed as the new Minister of Education and Child Care and Grace Lore has been appointed as the new Minister of State for Child Care. These changes are effective immediately.

Minister Rachna Singh, MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers, joins us from the Attorney General and Minister responsible for Housing where she previously held the role of Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives. Her new mandate letter highlights her priorities as Minister.

Minister of State Grace Lore joins us from the Ministry of Finance where she previously held the role of Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity. Her new mandate letter outlines her priorities for child care.

As the ministry begins the transition period, we would like to recognize the outgoing Minister of Education and Child Care, Jennifer Whiteside and former Minister of State for Child Care, Katrina Chen for the many significant contributions they’ve made over the past few years. Under their leadership we accomplished a great deal, including responding decisively to the COVID-19 pandemic and making significant progress towards fulfilling our commitments in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan. Together, they also led work on integrating child care into the K-12 education system, creating thousands of new child care spaces, and introducing significant child care fee reductions for B.C. families.

We wish Minister Singh, Minister of State Lore, Minister Whiteside and MLA Chen, all the best.

Child care savings celebration

On December 2, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier David Eby, Karina Gould, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care, Aman Singh, MLA for Richmond-Queensborough, Kelly Greene, MLA for Richmond-Steveston and Henry Yao, MLA for Richmond South Centre along with child care providers and families, joined together to celebrate enhanced child care fee reductions and increased provider payments.

Provider payment rates have increased with these changes, roughly doubling for group providers and increasing by approximately three to four times for family providers participating in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative. Parent fee reductions have also increased by up to $550 more per month, per child, for families accessing care at participating licensed CCFRI facilities, helping approximately 69,000 B.C. families with the cost of child care. This is in addition to the up to $350 per month per child that families are were already saving through the initiative, bringing total fee reductions to up to $900 per child per month. To learn more about this initiative and the December 1 changes, visit the ChildCareBC website.

An enhanced online CCFRI Estimator that factors in these reductions is now available to help providers and families estimate new child care fees. The estimator is intended to be used as a guide only and is not a guarantee of payments.

Also, more than 4,000 child care spaces moved to the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program earlier this year, and more are being added each month as B.C. works towards its goal of 12,500 spaces in the program for this intake period under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. The most recent batch of 2,450 spaces joined the program this month, bringing the total number of $10 a Day spaces in B.C. to over 10,500, with thousands more spaces currently under negotiation and expected to join the program in the coming weeks.

Reminder: Apply by December 9 for Employer Health Tax reimbursement

If you are participating in the ECE Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE) and are required to pay the Employer Health Tax (EHT), you may be eligible to receive funding support from the ministry. EHT reimbursement funding is available to offset any increase in EHT you are required to pay for being part of the ECE-WE. This reimbursement ensures the amount of EHT you pay does not change due to your participation in ECE-WE. The deadline to apply for the EHT Reimbursement for the 2021 tax year is 11:59 PM (PST) on December 9, 2022. Visit the CCOF ECE-WE web page for more information.

Scanning for child care programs on school grounds

School districts throughout B.C. are completing environmental scans of early learning and child care programs located on school grounds and building an inventory of their licensed child care spaces in order to establish and grow their working relationships with early years service providers, and to identify the range of programs currently available.

Please note that if you operate a child care program that directly serves a school community in your area, you may be contacted for more information.

New National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care

The Government of Canada recently announced the launch of a new National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care to support its historic $30 billion investment to build a high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care sector across the country.

The council has 16 members, including academics and advocates, practitioners, and caregivers, all selected to represent Canada’s diversity. The council will provide expert, third-party advice to the Government of Canada, in support of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and provide consultation on the issues and challenges facing the early learning and child care sector.

To learn more about the National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care, visit the Government of Canada’s website.

Edition 49, November 24, 2022

Funding opportunity: Indigenous Skills Training and Education Programs

Indigenous students pursuing early childhood education programs may be eligible for support from the Indigenous Skills Training and Education (ISTE) programs, delivered by the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training.

ISTE funding is provided to Indigenous communities to access skills training and post-secondary education leading to employment or self-employment, through the Aboriginal Community-Based Training Partnerships (ACBTP) and the Indigenous Skills Training Development Fund (ISTDF). Funding can be provided for up to one year of education and training.

Interested Indigenous students are encouraged to reach out to their Band, Nation, or local Aboriginal Friendship Centre to find out if their community is participating in ISTE. For more information, please see the program overview.

Reminder: child care guidance from the BC Centre for Disease Control

Cold and flu season is here, and it is important to take preventative measures against infection. While we are seeing an increase in respiratory illnesses in the community, it appears to be a mix of viruses (including influenza), rather than a spike in COVID-19. A new platform to monitor respiratory diseases in BC is available on the Respiratory Diseases webpage on the BC Centre for Disease and Control’s (BCCDC) website.

Resources are available to support management of respiratory infections and other routine communicable diseases, including HealthLinkBC, BCCDC Guide to Common Childhood Diseases and Sneezes and Diseases. Child care operators are also encouraged to review the BCCDC public health guidance for communicable diseases. The guidance outlines strategies for families and child care staff to prevent respiratory infections, including vaccination for COVID-19 and influenza, frequent hand washing, staying home when sick and respiratory etiquette.

People aged 6 months and older are eligible for COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. More information about COVID-19 vaccines, including information about COVID-19 vaccines for children, is available from the BCCDC website. Learn about the influenza (flu) vaccine on the ImmunizeBC website.

Edition 48, November 10, 2022

Affordable Child Care Benefit updating benefit plans

Last month, providers in receipt of the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative received an email from the ministry with information about updating their ACCB plans for December 2022 and beyond.

Providers whose new parent fees can be determined using the rates on file for their facility require no further action to update benefit plans, while providers that must report their new parent fees received an email with a link to a form and instructions on how to report. Providers may use the online CCFRI Estimator to help estimate their new parent fees. The form will remain open until December 2022.

Once benefit plans have been updated with the new fees, both providers and parents will receive an updated benefit plan letter for each child receiving additional fee reductions starting in December.

Fee reduction estimator

The ministry has developed a new online CCFRI Estimator to help determine new child care fees that will start in December 2022. This initial version of the CCFRI estimator is now live, and is intended for use as a guide to support providers. An updated version for both parents and providers is planned for release in mid-November that will include the approved CCFRI parent fees for each facility.

Employer Health Tax reimbursement now available

If you are participating in the ECE Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE) and are required to pay the Employer Health Tax (EHT), you may be eligible to receive funding support from the ministry. EHT reimbursement funding is available to offset any increase in EHT you are required to pay for being part of the ECE-WE. This reimbursement ensures the amount of EHT you pay does not change due to your participation in ECE-WE. The application for the EHT Reimbursement for the 2021 tax year opens soon and the deadline to apply is December 9, 2022. Visit the CCOF ECE-WE web page for more information.

New $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres for October

Hundreds more families will save thousands of dollars per year as more than 1,370 additional child care spaces have been converted to the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program. The newly approved $10 a Day spaces are being offered at 18 child care centres throughout British Columbia and include spaces for infants and toddlers, children two and a half years old to kindergarten age, and school-age children. These additional spaces bring the total number of $10 a Day spaces in B.C. to nearly 8,200.

More $10 a Day spaces will continue to be created over the coming months with a goal to expand the number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces available for families in B.C. from 6,500 to 12,500.

Top FAQs from provider info session #2 on October 13, 2022

Thank you to everyone who attended the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative information sessions on October 13. We received dozens of questions and answered as many as we could during the sessions. If you were unable to attend, we encourage you to watch the recording on the Province of BC’s YouTube channel. We also identified some common themes among the questions and have provided responses below:

Applying for up to 3% annual allowable increase
- Participating providers must contact the program if they wish to apply for an annual allowable fee increase of up to 3% of the regional fees for that care type to ensure predictability and affordability of child care costs for families while also addressing potential rising costs for providers.
Assessing parent fees for new CCFRI members
- Facilities opting in to the CCFRI after not having participated in the 2021-22 or 2022-23 funding term are considered New-to-CCFRI. To be approved to participate in the CCFRI, fees at New-to-CCFRI facilities must be at or below the regional 70^th percentile when they join the program. Additionally, any fee increases implemented at the facility back to April 1 of the previous fiscal year (i.e., April 1, 2021, for New-to-CCFRI facilities applying for CCFRI 2022-23) are assessed according to the policies in the CCFRI Funding Guidelines.
Child care for Ukrainian refugees
- Ukrainians residing in British Columbia under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET) program are eligible to receive the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, as long as their child care provider participates in the CCFRI program. The CCFRI program is independent from the Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB) and does not have any citizenship requirements. As CCFRI is based on the child care space available and not the child, temporary residents are eligible as long as they are attending a licensed child care space at a facility enrolled in CCFRI.
Enhanced CCFRI Estimator
- The enhanced CCFRI estimator that will launch in late November will include a facility search function with customized fees, an approved parent fee schedule for each facility that will populate monthly – as approved amounts will vary depending on stat holidays or other closures where parents pay less, and fee estimates that will be based on the frequency of care type selected.
School-age care on school grounds
- The December 2022 fee reductions include all children enrolled in Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative approved care types at participating locations, including those in kindergarten who are attending before- and after-school care, pro-D day and licensed summer/winter camp programs. The Province will be taking action to reduce the cost of before- and after-school care for children in grade one and higher, as well as those attending half-day, licensed preschool programs, starting in September 2023. More information will be made available when the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative Funding Guidelines are updated in January.

Edition 47, October 26, 2022

Fee reductions: provider information sessions

A recording is now available of the October 13 provider information session on operational changes for the December 2022 fee reductions and the process to update Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB) plans. Please review the recording of the session if you missed out or if you would like a refresh on the information.

More information on the CCFRI rate change announcement is available on the ChildCareBC website.

Fee reduction estimator

CCFRI Funding Guidelines 2022-23

Updated funding guidelines for the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative are now available to view online.

The policies outlined in these guidelines are intended to ensure that the greatest possible benefit is passed along to parents in the form of reduced monthly parent fees to make child care more affordable for B.C. families.

The following refinements have been made for 2022-23:

CCFRI provider payment amounts will roughly double for group providers and increase by three-to-four times for family providers to help offset costs associated with the program, support sustainability over the long term, and/or save for future facility expenses
Participating providers must contact the program if they wish to apply for an annual allowable fee increase of up to 3% of the typical regional fees to ensure predictability and affordability of child care costs for families while also addressing potential rising costs for providers
Any increase to existing (or introduction of new) administrative fees will be considered a parent fee increase subject to ministry review
Clarifying the types of expenses that can be approved if a facility is requesting a fee increase due to exceptional circumstances

Deadline approaching for Enrolment Reports and Monthly ECE Reports for April

Sharing a reminder, as outlined in section 7 of the CCOF funding agreement, CCOF Enrolment Reports and Early Childhood Educator reports and all related adjustments are due six months after the applicable reporting month.

Child care providers must submit their April 2022 CCOF Enrolment Reports and April 2022 Early Childhood Educator reports and related adjustments by the end of this month. Reports submitted after October 31 will not be accepted and no ministry payments will be made. CCOF providers must also notify the ministry of any overpayment, even if the reporting deadline has passed.

Early Childhood Education Centre opens in Kamloops

Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops recently unveiled its new Early Childhood Education Centre, complete with learning, research and child care all under one roof.

The 2,000 square metre facility includes indoor and outdoor learning spaces and will be used by students and educators in TRU’s ECE program, as well as researchers in early childhood education, and children attending the Cariboo Child Care Society.

The project was made possible with $1.48 million from the Province’s ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund and the grand opening included a visit from Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care, alongside TRU faculty and staff, and community members.

Since the start of ChildCareBC, the Province has funded the creation of more than 30,500 new licensed child care spaces. Nearly 1,000 of these spaces, along with 240 $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres, have been created in Kamloops and the surrounding area. Overall, the Province has invested $2.7 billion to reduce parent fees, accelerate space creation, and rolled out multiple strategies to support ECEs during this time.

Edition 46, October 6, 2022

New child care fee reductions

On September 23, 2022, Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care, Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education and Child Care, and Karina Gould, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, announced child care fee reductions of up to $550 more per month for families with children kindergarten and younger starting December 1, 2022. This brings the monthly maximum savings to up to $900 per child. The announcement was live-streamed and is available to view on YouTube.

A child care provider information session took place on September 22, 2022, and is available to view on the ChildCareBC Engagement website.

More information about the child care fee reductions is available on the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative website, including frequently asked questions for families and providers.

Update on applications to the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program

The $10 a Day ChildCareBC program has more than doubled the number of initial spaces to 6,500, providing thousands of families throughout British Columbia with child care for $10 per day. The 2022 expansion will see the number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres nearly double again, to roughly 12,500 centres by the end of this year.

The most recent intake that closed August 18, 2022, received 394 applications from licensed child care operators that are being reviewed on an ongoing basis. Successful applicants will be announced each month as they are welcomed into the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program.

Newly approved centres include:

Learn and Laugh Academy – Ladysmith
Kiddo House Child Care Centre – Richmond
Shuswap Daycare Centre – Salmon Arm
YMCA City Hall Child Care – Surrey
Crescent Beach Tiny “Y” – Surrey

If you applied to become a $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre during the 2022 intake period and have not been contacted yet, this does not mean your application has been unsuccessful. The team is carefully considering applications and all applicants will be notified of the ministry’s decision by January 2023.

Thank you to all applicants for your interest, for taking the time to apply, and for your patience as we continue the evaluation and negotiation process.

Funding available for ECE students - Fall 2022 semester

The fall intake for the ECE Education Support Fund is now open until October 15. The bursary program, to help make learning more affordable for those studying or upgrading their Early Childhood Educator skills, will provide up to $5,000 per semester. These bursaries are funded through the Canada-British Columbia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, and additional intakes will continue to be available for upcoming semesters.

Since the launch of ChildCareBC in 2018, the ECE Education Support Fund has provided more than 12,300 bursaries to support over 6,500 students pursuing a career in early childhood education. ECE students have a broad choice of study options as some institutions offer the ECE program via online learning, which allows students throughout B.C. to train, stay in their local communities and get started on this in-demand career. Currently, ECE training is offered at 32 post-secondary institutions, with programs in all regions of the province.

Government of Canada provides inclusion funding for child care centres

The Enabling Access Fund Small Projects Component is a federal granting program that provides up to $100,000 to successful project applicants to help improve the accessibility, safety, and inclusion of staff, families and children with diverse abilities in facilities, including licensed child care centres.

Examples of these projects could include the construction of ramps, accessible doors, accessible washrooms, multisensory rooms, and accessible playgrounds.

Eligible applicants – including Indigenous-led organizations, not-for-profit organizations, municipalities, and private centres – must apply by November 1, 2022. Organizations interested in applying can consult the applicant guide, and attend information sessions intended to support those wishing to apply.

English language sessions are on October 5 and 19, 2022, while French language sessions are on October 6 and 20, 2022. Individuals interested in attending an information session should send an email to NC-HIP-PIP-EAF_ODI-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.

National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day

How did you recognize and honour the healing journeys of residential school survivors and their families for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day?

This day was created to remember the children who never came home, to learn the true history and legacy of the residential school system, and to honour the resilience, dignity and strength of survivors and intergenerational survivors.

We would love to hear and share stories of how child care providers recognized the day with children-centred activities like wearing orange, reading Indigenous stories, and connecting with the Lands. Please send your stories and photos to ChildCareBC.engagement@gov.bc.ca

Register to get vaccinated

The Province is encouraging parents and guardians of children six months and older to register them to get their COVID-19 and influenza vaccines through the provincial Get Vaccinated system.

Parents and guardians will then receive invitations to book their children’s appointments and should do so as soon as possible. Eligible children will be able to get both vaccines at the same time. Vaccination continues to be one of the most effective ways to protect our children, families and communities against COVID-19, influenza and other diseases.

New centre for childhood studies breaks ground in North Vancouver

Last month, the Province and Capilano University broke ground on the Centre for Childhood Studies, a new, fully integrated centre of research, learning and child care in B.C.

The two-storey facility will increase opportunities for practicum placements on campus for students from Capilano University’s school of education and childhood studies, in addition to more than doubling the current amount of on-campus child care options available to students, employees and community members. The centre will also provide additional studio space, study and research labs, classrooms and faculty offices.

Applications now open: Provincial Child Care Council

The Provincial Child Care Council is now accepting applications for vacant positions during its next appointment period.

If you are interested in providing strategic advice and expertise on child care to the Minister of Education and Child Care and Minister of State for Child Care, and can commit your time, please consider applying. The Provincial Child Care Council provides advice and recommendations on policies and programs that impact the affordability, quality, and accessibility of child care.

The Council is seeking diverse representation from child care providers of different types of care, school districts, child care advocacy groups, early childhood educators, early care and learning academics, labour unions, business, local or regional government, and post-secondary education.

Learn more about the Provincial Child Care Council and submit an expression of interest. Applications are due October 19, 2022.

Update: Union of British Columbia Municipalities Convention

The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) held their annual convention from September 12-16, 2022, with members, government leaders and industry partners joining together under the theme of “Value of One, Power of Many.”

Both Minister of State for Child Care, Katrina Chen, and Minister of Education and Child Care, Jennifer Whiteside, spent the week meeting with mayors, councillors, and regional district directors about child care issues in their communities. Minister Whiteside was able to share the ChildCareBC vision with a full complement of participants during the Community Child Care Creation in B.C. workshop, where local government and non-profit child care panelists spoke about innovative and successful child care partnerships to create, deliver, and operate child care. The workshop provided inspiration and motivation for many representatives to return to their communities with plans to create new spaces in their communities through applying for ChildCareBC New Spaces Funding.

Edition 45, September 21, 2022

Update: New Child Care Fee Reductions

Government has committed to more reductions in child care fees for families with children kindergarten and younger by the end of 2022. This reduction in average child care fees will be accomplished through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and expansion of the $10 Day ChildCareBC Centres.

We postponed the provider information session and public fee reduction announcement, which were previously scheduled for earlier this month. These have now been rescheduled and the registration and announcement links have been emailed directly to providers.

The provider information session will take place on September 22 at 6:30 to 7:30 PM.

The announcement will follow the next day on September 23 at 10:30 AM and will be live-streamed via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Despite the delay in the announcement, the implementation of child care fee reductions remains as scheduled for December 2022.

Reminder to Providers: National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day

Child care providers are asked to remind families at their facilities if they will be closed on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.

September 30 is Orange Shirt Day, which is a grassroots campaign to honour the healing journeys of residential school survivors and their families. You can join people throughout the province in marking this day by wearing orange and taking the time to engage in meaningful discussions about the history and legacy of the residential school system.

For the second year, Canada is also observing the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Friday, September 30. This is a day that was created to remember the children who never came home, to commemorate the history and legacy of the residential school system, and to honour the resilience, dignity and strength of survivors and intergenerational survivors. While the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is a federal statutory holiday, it is not considered a statutory holiday in B.C.

In B.C., federal holidays trigger obligations in our public sector agreements that recognize federal holidays. Because of this, public schools, public post-secondary institutions, research universities, Crown corporations and provincial government offices will be closed. However, private organizations – including child care facilities – are encouraged to make their own decisions about opening or closing on September 30.

More information about the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day is available on both the British Columbia website and the Government of Canada website.

Applications Now Open: Provincial Child Care Council

The Provincial Child Care Council is now accepting applications for vacant positions during its next appointment period.

If you are interested in providing strategic advice and expertise on child care to the Minister of Education and Child Care, and are able to commit your time, please consider applying. The Provincial Child Care Council provides advice and recommendations on policies and programs that impact the affordability, quality, and accessibility of child care.

Click here to learn more about the Provincial Child Care Council and submit an expression of interest. Applications are due October 19, 2022.

Edition 44, August 25, 2022

Child Care Guidance from the BC Centre for Disease Control

September is around the corner and that means the start of a new school year. To coincide with that, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has updated its public health guidance for communicable diseases.

This guidance for child care facilities includes information on COVID-19 management and the BCCDC will continue to review emerging evidence and modify the guidance as needed. Please note this update does not suggest any new measures or changes to existing practices. Rather, it has been updated to reflect an ongoing shift to support the management of all communicable diseases, including, but not exclusive to, COVID-19.

We encourage you to review this updated guidance and take the time needed to implement health and safety policies that best suit the needs of your staff, children and families. The BCCDC notes that vaccines are important tools to protect against many serious communicable diseases and vaccination remains the most effective way to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in our communities.

People aged 6 months and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. More information about COVID-19 vaccines, including information about COVID-19 vaccines for children, is available from the BCCDC website.

Are you interested in becoming an Aboriginal Head Start child care program?

Indigenous organizations are invited to contact the Aboriginal Head Start Association of BC (AHSABC) to discuss an opportunity to convert their urban, Indigenous-led child care facilities to the Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) program model, making them no-fee, holistic child care and family wellness programs.

AHS programs offer high-quality, culturally based early learning and child care designed for and with Indigenous families and communities. These programs aim to keep Indigenous children connected to their culture and to support Indigenous families in becoming better connected to their community. AHS offers preventative supports like parent education, encourages family participation and provides referrals to early intervention services, such as counselling and speech therapy.

New AHS child care centres would receive support and training from AHSABC and peer AHS programs to grow into their new AHS model of delivery.

For more information, please contact AHSABC’s Director of Programming at programmingdirector@ahsabc.com.

$10 a Day expansion intake now closed

The 2022 expansion intake for the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program has now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied! Applications are currently being reviewed and applicants will be informed of the status of their application by January 2023.

Apply Now for the 2022-23 New Spaces Fund

The call for applications for the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund is still open! The intake will remain open while funds are available, and applicants are encouraged to apply by January 2023 to have their applications considered within the current fiscal year. All applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. Adjudication timelines may vary depending on application completeness, project complexity and cost considerations.

Together, the Government of Canada and the Province are investing more than $290 million to fund the creation of an estimated 8,600 new licensed child care spaces throughout B.C. over the next year. Key priority areas include the creation of infant, toddler and school age spaces.

Information on eligibility, funding guidelines, the application process and resource documents are available on the New Spaces Fund (Primary stream) web page. A new application stream has also been launched to support the creation of new licensed spaces for school-aged children on school grounds for school districts, First Nation schools, First Nation independent schools, and not-for-profit independent schools throughout B.C.

Edition 43, August 11, 2022

Apply now for 2022 expansion of $10 a Day

Licensed child care operators have just one more week (August 18 at 12:00 p.m.) to apply for the 2022 expansion intake of the ChildCareBC $10 a Day program. Those who meet the eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply and more information about the application process is available on the $10 a Day ChildCareBC web page.

Priorities in this expansion are for large not-for-profit, public, and Indigenous-led facilities, densely populated areas or where demand remains, or communities that may not already have a $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre. All licensed child care facilities are welcome to apply with the exception of those that exclusively offer school-age care.

The $10 a Day ChildcareBC program has already more than doubled the number of initial $10 a Day child care spaces, reaching thousands more families throughout British Columbia. The 2022 expansion intake is made possible through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, and will nearly again double the number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces from more than 6,500 to 12,500 child care spaces by the end of this year.

Results of recent ECE Education Support Fund

More than 1,215 ECE students received funding towards their training or upgrading for the winter 2022 semester through the ECE Education Support Fund, and approximately 1,380 more students were successful in applying for bursaries from the summer 2022 semester. These bursaries provide up to $5,000 per semester, depending on the funding stream applied for, and are available to current ECEs as well as those looking to enter the field.

Some institutions offer the ECE program via online learning, which allows students throughout B.C. to train while staying in their communities. Currently, ECE training is offered at 32 post-secondary institutions, with programs in all regions of the province.

The ECE Education Support Fund remains a key part the Province’s ECE Recruitment and Retention Strategy to meet workforce demands in the sector. More than $2 million of funding through the Canada-British Columbia Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Agreement supported bursaries for the winter 2022 semester, and as much as $2.7 million will be disbursed to summer 2022 semester students.

Since the launch of ChildCareBC in 2018, the ECE Education Support Fund has provided 12,300 bursaries to support more than 6,500 students pursuing a career in early childhood education. Additional information about the fall 2022 and winter 2023 semesters will be available next month. Interested applicants (including previous applicants) are encouraged to apply.

Employer Training Grant webinar rewind

In case you missed it, last week the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training hosted a webinar on the B.C. Employer Training Grant. This information session and presentation highlighted this grant program, which supports employers in paying for skills training for their employees.

Child Care operators can benefit from this access to training support as priority is given to applications from the early childhood education sector and successful applicants will be reimbursed 80% of eligible training costs. More information on the grant and the info session can be accessed at the links below.

View the BC ETG Information Session presentation (PDF)
View the Information Session Q&A (PDF)
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

Minister of State: Summer 2022 ChildCareBC Tour

Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care, visited a number of child care facilities throughout the province this summer. This included family, in-home-multi-age, public, private, non-profit, and Indigenous providers. She hosted small roundtables at each location, allowing her the opportunity to hear from a diverse array of providers on their successes, challenges, and desires for the future of child care in B.C.

Affordability, accessibility, quality and inclusion were at the forefront of all conversations. The groups discussed ECE wage enhancements, education, and the additional supports needed to attract and retain more educators to the sector. Space creation and maintenance support concerns were also brought forward at each meeting. Minister Chen visited numerous Indigenous child care centres and learned about the traditions being shared with children through music, literature, food, and art. It was highlighted that many of these children will now be teaching their culture to their own families.

Minister Chen commented on the visits saying, “I would like to thank all the child care educators, providers, and CCRRs who go above and beyond for B.C. families, and welcomed me with such grace and candor. I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the child care professionals who have shared with me their incredible knowledge, experience, and ideas over the past five years. I am committed to continuing to engage with you and to improving communications as we move forward.”

Edition 42, July 27, 2022

Employer Training Grant information session: August 3, 2022

Child care operators and the overall child care sector are invited to join an information session for the B.C. Employer Training Grant (ETG), which will support employers in paying for skills training for their workforce.

The information session will be on Wednesday, August 3 at 2:00pm (PST) and will include a short presentation followed by time set aside for your questions.

Registration for the August 3rd information session, as well as more information about the ETG, is now available on our engagement website.

Now accepting $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre applications

If you are a licensed child care operator in receipt of Child Care Operating Funding for at least one year, and operating spaces for children ages five and under and/or multi-age programs, we encourage you to apply to participate in the $10 a Day ChildCareBC Program. The 2022 intake opened on June 20 and will run until noon on August 18. Information about the application process is available on the $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre webpage.

Earlier this year, the provincial government expanded the number of $10 a Day child care spaces to thousands more families throughout British Columbia. Program expansion as part of the ongoing intake is made possible through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, and will nearly double the number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces from more than 6,500 to 12,500 spaces by the end of this year.

Priorities in this expansion are for communities that do not currently have $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre, and large not-for-profit, public, and Indigenous-led facilities; however, all licensed child care facilities with the exception of those that exclusively offer school-age care, are welcome to apply.

Register now for My Family Services

The Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB) has launched a new portal to support the My Family Services (MyFS) application process.

My Family Services – Service Provider (MyFS-SP) allows Licensed and Registered Licence-Not-Required care providers to complete ACCB Child Care Arrangement forms online. To sign up, providers must have a Business BCeID and be registered for the ACCB Service Provider Portal. Providers who meet these requirements have been invited to register.

The new MyFS-SP portal does not change the existing claim process. Please continue to use the Service Provider Portal to access self-service options related to claims, benefit plans and payments. More information is available on the ACCB Service Provider Portal webpage.

Edition 41, July 13, 2022

Call for applications for the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund still open

Funds for ECE Training: Information Session

In the coming weeks, child care operators and the overall child care sector will be invited to join an information session for the B.C. Employer Training Grant (ETG), which will support employers in paying for skills training for their workforce.

The ETG program is a great opportunity for child care operators to access training support for their employees.

Successful applicants will be reimbursed 80% of eligible training costs, with the employer contributing the remaining 20%. Priority is given to first-time applicants, small businesses and applicants from industries experiencing the greatest recruitment challenges – such as early childhood education.

Registration for the information session and more information will be available soon on our engagement website.

B.C. celebrates first year of National Early Learning and Child Care Agreement

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the historic Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the first of which was signed between the governments of Canada and British Columbia on July 8, 2021. To mark the occasion, representatives from each province and territory were in B.C. where they agreed to establish a Federal, Provincial and Territorial Forum of Ministers Most Responsible for Early Learning and Child Care that will continue to share information. Their collective goal is working towards an average child care fee of $10-a-day by March 2026 for licensed child care, including a 50% reduction in average fees for regulated early learning and child care spaces by the end of 2022.

More information on how B.C. will achieve the reduction will be made public in the coming weeks.

Key highlights of the agreement with B.C. include:

The federal government investing $3.2 billion over five years to support shared priorities for building high-quality, affordable, flexible, inclusive, accessible child care – a significant investment that complements B.C. investing more than $2.5 billion over the next three years in early learning and child care, which builds on the $2.7 billion invested by the Province through ChildCareBC since 2018;
Combining this agreement and other federal funding with provincial funding to support the creation of approximately 60,000 new licensed child care spaces by March 2026 since the launch of ChildCareBC in 2018. This will rise to approximately 70,000 by March 2028.
Reducing average out-of-pocket child care costs for families with children aged five and under by an average of 50% of 2019 levels. (For families with children in preschool programs and before- and after-school care, through provincial funding announced in B.C. Budget 2022, rates will be reduced to an average of $20 a day beginning in September 2023); and,
British Columbia and Canada working together toward achieving an average parent fee of $10 per day for all regulated child care spaces for children under six by the end of the five-year agreement.

Edition 40, June 29, 2022

Info Session Video: Recruiting and Retaining ECEs using the BC Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

In case you missed it, a recording is now available of the recent webinar on recruitment and retention opportunities for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) through the BC Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The session also featured presentations on Immigration Programs and Resources for Employers from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and on ECE Certification from the ECE Registry.

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)

This program is part of government’s strategy to support recruitment and retention in the sector, as it assists international and out-of-province ECEs seeking permanent employment and residence in the province. ECEs have been given priority access to apply, which provides a better chance for assessment under the program’s criteria. If a person is nominated, they and their family can apply to become permanent residents of Canada. All registrants, applicants and employers must continue to meet all relevant program criteria.

Now accepting $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre applications

Earlier this year, the provincial government expanded the number of $10 a Day child care spaces to thousands more families throughout British Columbia. Program expansion as part of the ongoing intake is made possible through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, and will nearly double $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces from more than 6,500 to 12,500 child care spaces by the end of December 2022.

Edition 39, June 15, 2022

Information Session: Recruiting and Retaining ECEs using the BC PNP

Join us tonight from 4:00 – 6:00 PM, as child care operators, ECEs and the overall child care sector are invited to attend an information session on recruiting and retaining ECEs through the BC Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). To register for the session, visit our ChildCareBC engagement website.

This program is part of government’s core strategy to support recruitment and retention in the sector, as it assists international and out-of-province ECEs seeking permanent employment and residence in the province. ECEs have been given priority access to apply, which provides a better chance for assessment under the program’s criteria.

For additional background, the BC PNP is an economic immigration program that helps the Province select and nominate foreign workers, international students, and entrepreneurs to help meet B.C.’s labour market needs, support government priorities, and help grow B.C.’s economy. If a person is nominated, they and their family can apply to become permanent residents of Canada. All registrants and applicants and employers must continue to meet all relevant program criteria.

For those interested yet unable to attend, the virtual info session will be recorded and posted to the ChildCareBC website.

Apply now for the 2022-23 New Spaces Fund!

We are now accepting applications for the New Spaces Fund.

This year features an open intake and priority will be given to creation of infant, toddler and school age spaces. A new application stream has been launched to support the creation of new licensed spaces for school aged children on school grounds for school districts, First Nation schools, First Nation independent schools, and not-for-profit independent schools throughout B.C.

Together, the Government of Canada and the Province are investing more than $290 million to fund the creation of an estimated 8,400 new licensed child care spaces in high-need areas throughout B.C. over the next year. The intake will remain open as long as funds are available, and applicants are encouraged to apply by January 2023 to have their applications considered within the fiscal year. All applications will be reviewed in the order they are received, and timelines may vary depending on application completeness, project complexity and cost considerations.

Please review the New Spaces Fund Guidelines and supporting materials prior to applying. If you don’t see the answer to your question in the materials, you can submit it here or contact the program at 1-888-338-6622 (option 5). If updated information becomes available, it will be added to the website and shared in a future ChildCareBC Bulletin.

We know that new child care spaces require more ECEs. Progress on the ECE Recruitment and Retention Strategy included provincial funding to enhance ECE compensation by $4 an hour for ECEs working in licensed child care programs, prioritizing immigration pathways by adding ECEs to the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and expanding ECE seats at public post-secondary institutions.

People wanting to start a career as an ECE, as well as current ECEs who want to upgrade their credentials, may benefit from bursaries through the ECE Education Support Fund for as much as $4,000 and $5,000, respectively. Applications for the summer intake are being accepted between 7 a.m., June 1, 2022, and 4 p.m., June 15, 2022.

Are you interested in becoming an Aboriginal Head Start child care program?

New AHS child care centres would receive support and training from AHSABC and peer AHS programs to grow into their new AHS model of delivery.

For more information, please contact AHSABC’s Director of Programming at programmingdirector@ahsabc.com.

Celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day

June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day across Canada. It’s a special occasion to learn more about the rich and diverse cultures, voices, experiences and histories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

Learning about Indigenous Peoples, places and experiences is a step forward each Canadian can take on their personal path to reconciliation.

Events and activities will take place across the country. Click on this interactive map or list of events to find celebrations and activities taking place in your community, and you can share your experience on social media with the #NIPD2022 and #NIPDCanada hashtags.

Edition 38, May 31, 2022

Apply now for the 2022-23 New Spaces Fund!

We are now accepting applications for the New Spaces Fund.

We know that new child care spaces require more ECEs. Progress on the ECE Recruitment and Retention Strategy includes provincial funding to enhance ECE compensation by $4 an hour for ECEs working in licensed child care programs, prioritizing immigration pathways by adding ECEs to the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and expanding ECE seats at public post-secondary institutions.

$10 a Day ChildCareBC expansion opening soon!

The next intake to become a $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre will open mid-June. All child care operators in receipt of Child Care Operating Funding for at least one year may apply to join the program.

Applications for this round of expansion will be welcome until August 18, 2022. The Ministry will prioritize applicants from not-for-profit, public, and Indigenous-led organizations operating licensed facilities for children birth to 5 years of age (and multi-age programs), as well as applicants located in communities currently without a $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centre or with a low proportion of $10 a Day sites based on child population.

When the next intake opens, information on how to apply will be added to the website and shared in a future ChildCareBC Bulletin.

Supporting Early Childhood Educators

ECE Education Support Fund ‘Bursary Basics’

The ECE Education Support Fund opens June 1 and will be accepting applications until June 15. If you missed the ‘Bursary Basics’ info session on May 17, a recording is now available.

Students who are currently working may apply for the ECE Student Bursary or the ECE Workforce Bursary Development Fund, provided they are working in a licensed child care program or a StrongStart BC program. Please share this information with employees interested in upgrading their skills.

Join our info session on recruiting ECEs through the Provincial Nominee Program

We’ve teamed up with the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) to hold an info session on Wednesday, June 15 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM for child care operators, Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) and the overall child care sector. This program is another piece of government’s core strategy to support recruitment and retention in the sector, as it assists international and out-of-province ECEs seeking permanent employment and residence in the province. ECEs have been given priority access to apply, which provides a better chance for assessment under the program’s criteria. More information will be provided in the coming weeks and the link to register will be available soon on our engagement webpage.

A bit of background, the BC PNP is an economic immigration program that helps the Province select and nominate foreign workers, international students, and entrepreneurs to help meet B.C.’s labour market needs, support government priorities, and help grow B.C.’s economy. If an individual is nominated, they and their family can also apply to become a permanent resident of Canada. All registrants and applicants and employers must continue to meet all relevant program criteria. For those interested yet unable to attend, the virtual info session will be recorded and posted to the ChildCareBC website.

New Métis Early Learning and Child Care Appreciation Awards

MNBC’s second-annual Métis Early Learning and Child Care Appreciation Awards were handed out last week, recognizing Early Learning and Child Care Professionals. Their dedication to providing care to our children that incorporates Métis culture into their environment creates a culturally safe space for Métis children. A total of seven EL&CC Professionals were honoured at the virtual ceremony recognizing and celebrating Métis culture.

Congratulations to the following award recipients:

Cara McLean in Tumbler Ridge: 15-20 years’ experience in the Early Learning & Child Care field
Carly Hale in Aldergrove: 1-5 years’ experience in the Early Learning & Child Care field
Doreen Funk in Quesnel: 23 years’ experience in the Early Learning & Child Care field
Jordanna Olinary in Kelowna: 1-5 years’ experience in the Early Learning & Child Care field
Kim McLellan in Grand Forks: 10-15 years’ experience in the Early Learning & Child Care field
Laureanne Lepage in Sooke: 40 years’ experience in the Early Learning & Child Care field
Sheila Grieve in Nanaimo: over 35 years’ experience in the Early Learning & Child Care field

Recognizing AccessAbility Week May 29-June 4

The Province has released the following statement in part for B.C.’s 5th annual AccessAbility Week to promote and celebrate diversity and inclusion, and to recognize the importance of working towards becoming a fully accessible province:

“AccessAbility Week is a time to remember that an inclusive society is one where all people can participate equally in their communities and workplaces. AccessAbility Week is also a time for government to highlight support for people with disabilities and organizations that advocate for people with disabilities.

“This year, we recognize the many contributions people with disabilities have made toward making B.C. more accessible. We thank the individuals, communities and organizations actively removing barriers. We celebrate the steps we are taking toward a more accessible and inclusive province under the new act. This includes the recently announced Accessible British Columbia Regulation that requires more than 750 public-sector organizations to establish an accessibility committee, an accessibility plan and a feedback tool to improve accessibility.”

AccessAbility Week also coincides with the release of Government’s new accessibility Plan, AccessibleBC, which outlines how provincial ministries will embed accessibility and inclusion in their work and services over the next three years. There are five priority areas for government to identify, remove and prevent barriers to participation for people with disabilities: creating a culture of accessibility and inclusion; information and communication; buildings, infrastructure and public spaces; employment in the B.C. public service; and delivery of goods and services.

We also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone working in Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Supported Child Development for their tremendous support!

CanAssist: supporting inclusive child care

Last month, the BC Early Years Professional Development Hub launched an online course introducing inclusion and ways to incorporate its principles in child care settings. The Foundations of Inclusive Child Care Training is designed for child care providers, ECEs, and other professionals in the child care sector, and the course counts towards 12 hours of professional development credit.

To celebrate the launch, the Ministry of Education and Child Care partnered with CanAssist to host a two-hour event showcasing the course, followed by a small selection of workshops. Over 290 people attended the event, and 209 people participated in the workshops. We would like to thank all those who attended and made it a successful evening full of new beginnings. Nearly 350 people have already enrolled in the course!

One attendee was quoted in the chat as saying, “After supporting families, children, as well as having two sons with different support needs, I would have to say this is the best workshop I have ever attended regarding support needs.”

Edition 37, May 19, 2022

Child Care Provider Appreciation Day

As many of you know, May is Child Care Month in British Columbia. And today (May 19) has been proclaimed as Child Care Provider Appreciation Day in the province. Individuals, organizations and municipalities throughout B.C. have organized events in celebration of these important dates since 1982.

Minister’s statement on Child Care Provider Appreciation Day

Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care, has released the following statement in part, for Child Care Provider Appreciation Day in B.C.:

“I want to celebrate and honour all of B.C.’s child care professionals for the work you do caring for and providing access to early learning opportunities for our children. I cannot thank you enough for your hard work, sacrifice and dedication. Child care providers are the workforce behind the workforce and the heart of child care. You are skilled professionals who care for children at the most important time of their lives, and we can’t deliver child care without you. You are key to families, children, communities, and the economy.”

You can read the full statement on the Education and Child Care page of BC Gov news.

Supporting recruitment and retention

ECE Education Support Fund – Summer 2022

Ensuring that Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) are a well-supported profession is a key priority of the Childcare BC Plan. As a part of this priority, we are happy to share that applications will soon be accepted for the next intake of the ECE Education Support Fund. Please share this information with any of your employees interested in upgrading their skills.

Bursaries will be available to students enrolled in the summer 2022 semester of Early Childhood Educator programs at Ministry approved post-secondary institutions in B.C. The intake will be open between June 1-15 with priority going to students who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Metis, Inuit), students completing their final requirements for ECE certification, and students who are upgrading their credentials to include Infant/Toddler or Special needs Educator qualifications.

Information session on Provincial Nominee Program

The BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is holding an information session next month for child care operators, ECEs and the overall child care sector. The BC PNP is an economic immigration program that helps the Province select and nominate foreign workers, international students, and entrepreneurs to help meet B.C.’s labour market needs, support government priorities, and help grow B.C.’s economy.

This program is another piece of government’s core strategy to support recruitment and retention in the sector, as it assists international and out-of-province ECEs seeking to become permanent residents in the province. More information will be provided in our next bulletin and on the ChildCareBC web pages.

Employee Training Grants

Did you know that the B.C. government supports employers in providing skills training to both current and prospective employees? Employers can support their staff to upgrade their skills or help prospective staff become trained to work in the Early Childhood Education sector. Recognizing the pressing need for more early childhood professionals, the sector is a priority occupation in two granting programs.

The Community Workforce Response Grant provides funding to communities, associations or sectors to support unemployed and precariously employed (part-time, seasonal or casual) training-ready individuals. Funding is available for up to $300K, and projects must be under 52 weeks and delivered as cohort training. This program has three intakes per year, with the first intake closing on June 3^rd.

The B.C. Employer Training Grant is a cost-share program that helps employers to fund skills training for their current or prospective new hires. This program is open year round, not limited by intake periods.

Information on granting programs is available through the WorkBC website. Funding is provided by the Government of Canada through the Canada-B.C. Workforce Development Agreement.

New Spaces Fund opening soon!

The next intake for the New Spaces Fund will open in the coming weeks and will remain open, subject to budget availability, until January 2023. This is a change from previous intakes which were time limited - applications will now be reviewed as they are received by staff. Please visit the New Spaces Fund webpage starting the first week of June to learn about what’s new for the 2022-2023 New Spaces Fund program and review the updated funding guidelines and application resources. Eligibility will be offered to public sector, Indigenous-led, and not-for-profit societies.

Help us better understand what is important to you

Have you filled out your Child Care Provider Profile survey? Child care providers in receipt of Child Care Operating Funding and $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres were emailed a unique link to the survey with deadline to submit by June 30, 2022. The survey should take less than 30 minutes per facility and is a requirement of the 2022/23 CCOF Funding Agreement. This is an important tool to better understand trends in licensed child care and areas of importance to assist with future policy and program development throughout our ChildCareBC Plan.

Edition 36, May 2, 2022

Child Care Month and Child Care Provider Appreciation Day

May 2022 is Child Care Month in B.C. alongside May 19 as Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. This is to honour and thank YOU, the many dedicated child care professionals, providers and partners for the valuable services you provide and the significant contributions you make to the development of children in your community.

Child Care Month is also a time to reflect on the many achievements and milestones that have been realized since the inception of the ChildCareBC Plan in 2018, which would not be possible without the commitment of all the child care professionals that are at the heart of child care in B.C.

Minister of State for Child Care, Katrina Chen, has shared a statement and will be participating in announcements and events throughout the month. If you have an event you’d like her to attend, please email an invitation to cc.minister@gov.bc.ca and she will do her best to make it!

Save the date! ECEBC virtual conference

The 2022 ECEBC Conference will be held virtually on May 13-14. ACTIVATE: “In Dialogue with Vision and Voices” will run from 8:30am to 4:30pm on both days and includes a variety of valuable workshops, keynote speakers, a panel discussion and two breakout sessions. Detailed information about the virtual conference is available in the 2022 ECEBC Conference Guide.

Registration is open to both ECEBC members and non-members. To register for the conference, please access the 2022 ECEBC Conference News Release to select the appropriate registration option. Non-members can apply for membership prior to registration to receive a discount on their conference fees. If you have any questions regarding the conference, please contact sonia@ecebc.ca.

Continued progress for ChildCareBC

British Columbia has reached a milestone as it celebrates more than 30,500 new child care spaces funded since the launch of the ChildCareBC Plan in 2018. The most recent ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund intake concluded with 77 new sites creating 3,587 new licensed child care spaces through the latest round of funding. Thank you to everyone who applied.

The next intake for the New Spaces Fund will open for applications in the coming weeks. Through provincial and federal funding – $292 million is dedicated to funding child care space creation for families in 2023, including an additional $30 million from BC Budget 2022 to further expand the number of school age licensed child care spaces.

New spaces require new early childhood educators. As you know, a recruitment and retention strategy was included as part of B.C.’s 10-year ChildCareBC plan. Some of the progress since then includes:

Providing more than 10,000 bursaries to support nearly 6,000 ECE students
Creating 1,150 new ECE student spaces at post-secondary schools, which more than doubles the number of seats since 2018
Enhancing ECE compensation by $4 per hour

We know there is more work to do, and the federal government has provided a one-time $49.2-million investment that will further reduce barriers and increase access to post-secondary ECE programs and professional learning to support ECE graduates to transition to the workforce.

Expansion of ECE Dual Credit

High school students in B.C. will soon have more opportunities to access post-secondary early childhood education (ECE) courses thanks to the expansion of the ECE Dual Credit project.

Funding through Budget 2022 will continue to support the initial 20 school districts working in partnership with seven post‑secondary institutions, and additional funds will allow this project to expand to 10 more school districts and their post‑secondary partners.

This expansion translates to an increase from 400 to 600 ECE course enrollments for students in Grades 11 and 12. In addition to appearing on the students’ post-secondary transcripts, dual credit courses count as Grade 12 credits toward high school graduation. Participating school districts will receive a $25,000 program grant as well as $1,000 per eligible course enrollment. Information on participating districts will be shared when it is available.

COVID-19 mask mandate ends for travellers returning to Canada

As of April 25, the federal government no longer requires fully vaccinated travellers (including children) to wear a mask in public places for 14 days following re-entry into Canada. While some federal rules may be different from provincial rules, it is advised that you follow the more protective rules when in doubt.

Children under five are exempt from vaccination requirements and quarantine, without any limitations on their activities. Unvaccinated children aged 5-12 must still wear a well-constructed and properly fitted mask when in public spaces for the first 14 days after re-entry. This includes schools and child care facilities. Infants under two years of age should not wear masks as it may make it difficult for them to breathe and may become a choking hazard. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children are exempt from quarantine, without any limitations on their activities if their parents are fully vaccinated.

According to the BCCDC’s Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings, last updated on March 28, adults (including staff, practicum students, volunteers and visitors) and children over two years old in child care settings may wear a mask based on personal or family choice. Child care staff should supervise and support children to ensure safe and proper use of masks if a child or their family chooses to wear a mask. The choice of staff, families, or children on whether they practice additional personal prevention measures should be supported and treated with respect. Information on non-medical masks is available from BCCDC.

Moose Hide Campaign

On May 12, you are invited to take part in the 11th Annual Moose Hide Campaign. This grassroots movement is made up of Indigenous and non-Indigenous men and boys standing up against violence towards women and children. By wearing a moose hide pin and taking part in events, you will be demonstrating your commitment to giving women and children the respect, safety, and security they deserve. The inspiration for this national campaign came to the founders, Paul Lacerte and his daughter Raven, during a moose hunting trip along Highway 16 in northern B.C. (known as the "Highway of Tears"), where many women have been murdered or gone missing.

The Moose Hide Campaign welcomes educators, children, and youth across Turtle Island (North America) to join in and become part of the Moose Hide Campaign community. You can visit the Moose Hide Campaign website to register for this year’s online day of inspiration, ceremony and fasting across the country. There are a number of resources for educators including videos, colouring pages, and lesson plans.

Child Care Awards of Excellence

Every two years, the Child Care Awards of Excellence (CCAE) take place during Child Care Month to honour the outstanding achievements and contributions of early childhood educators, licensed child care providers, non-profit and private organizations, businesses and local governments who provide or support exceptional early care and learning services.

The virtual 2021 CCAE, was a resounding success and we look forward to opening the nominations later this year for the 2023 awards ceremony. Information about the nomination process will be shared through the ChildCareBC Bulletin and posted on the CCAE web page when it becomes available.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the previous Award Categories for information about each award and the nomination criteria. You may know someone or a team deserving of recognition next year!

Edition 35, April 14, 2022

Expansion of B.C.'s Affordability Initiatives

The Government of British Columbia is expanding the number of affordable child care spaces available, with the addition of 84 more $10 a Day ChildCareBC Sites throughout the province.

Under Budget 2021, the Province committed to expanding the number of $10 a Day spaces and last week announced the conversion of another 4,015 licensed child care spaces into low-cost spaces for families, for total of over 6,500 $10 a Day spaces. By partnering with the Government of Canada through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces will increase by another 6,000 for a total of 12,500 spaces converted to $10 a Day by the end of 2022.

Child care operators that were not selected to become a $10 a Day Site as part of this first expansion intake will have another opportunity to re-apply in the next round. Additional information about the next round of intakes, including future program requirements, will be available in late Spring or early Summer 2022 and operators should continue to check the ChildCareBC $10 a Day website to find out more about key priority areas, eligibility criteria and how to apply.

Child care operators that are participating in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative will also be receiving additional fee reductions to pass on to parents this year. Through a partnership with the federal government, the average rate of child care will be reduced by 50% from 2019 levels for children five and younger by the end of this year. This will be accomplished through the CCFRI program and more information will be shared with providers as it is confirmed in the coming months.

COVID-19 Update: Transitioning back to Communicable Disease Plans

As of April 8, employers in B.C. are no longer required to have COVID-19 safety plans and should transition back to communicable disease plans instead. We encourage you to review the information and supports available on the WorkSafeBC COVID-19 and Communicable Disease website. Please take a moment to review the updated guidance and adapt it to your settings and situations as appropriate.

Vaccination continues to be the most effective way to reduce the impact of COVID-19 and it is strongly recommended that adults interacting with children be fully vaccinated.

Federal Budget 2022 - Supporting Early Learning and Child Care

Canada’s Budget 2022 builds on an investment of $30 Billion over five years from the federal government to support early learning and child care across the country. In July 2021, British Columbia entered into an agreement that will see child care fees reduced by an average of 50% (based on 2019 levels) by the end of 2022.

The federal budget also proposes an additional $625 million in new funding over four years to Employment and Social Development Canada to establish an Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund. This will allow provinces and territories to build new facilities and related investments. We don’t know what this will mean for B.C. yet but will share information as it becomes available.

Peer Mentoring Program for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs)

Early Childhood Educators of BC and Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops have announced additional funding for the Peer Mentoring Program for Early Childhood Educators (ECEs).

Over the next three years, the program will expand from 17 to 35 community of practice groups across B.C. and support up to 500 ECEs through a $500,000 allocation from the Canada-British Columbia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

The program brings together new and experienced ECEs to share experiences, learn from each other and build a support network. This work will also assist B.C.’s Recruitment and Retention Plan through capacity building, ongoing professional development, and increasing teacher-efficacy and confidence.

Call for Nominations: MNBC Early Learning and Child Care Appreciation Awards

Do you know an early learning and child care professional who goes above and beyond to promote, recognize and celebrate Métis Culture in their learning environment? If so, consider nominating them for a Métis Nation B.C.’s Early Learning and Child Care Appreciation Award. The deadline for nominations is April 15^th.

The Virtual Appreciation and Awards Night will be held on May 25^th and advanced registration for the event is required. Each nominee will receive a cultural gift package and one winner from each region will be selected to receive an additional gift and recognition during the event.

Reminder: Inclusion training launch event - Foundations of Inclusive Child Care

The Ministry of Education and Child Care is partnering with CanAssist on April 21 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM for a virtual event in celebration of the launch of the Foundation of Inclusive Child Care online course.

The event will provide an introductory tour of the newest course on the BC Early Years Professional Development Hub, which is centered around inclusion. There will also be speakers, including Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. The keynote speakers will be Karla Verschoor and Hilary Thomson of Inclusion BC who will talk about why inclusion, diversity, and a sense of belonging is so key for children in the early years. The event will also include a virtual workshop that is designed to support understanding and provide resources on inclusion practices.

The event is free to attend, and registration will be open until April 20, 2022.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Partnership Award – Community

We would like to congratulate both recipients of the Partnership Award – Community, for the 2021 Child Care Awards of Excellence: The Kiwassa Neighbourhood House – Child Care Department, and the Early Childhood Care and Education Program at Capilano University.

This award celebrates the achievements of Julia Black, Program Coordinator with Capilano University, and Mary Battle, Child Care Director with Kiwassa Neighbourhood House for working collaboratively with their teams to quickly adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, partnering together to build capacity, and deliver training and support for staff and educators.

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the Province of BC YouTube page.

Edition 34, April 6, 2022

Expansion of Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE)

More Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) are benefitting from wage enhancement than ever before. Beginning April 1, 2022, all ECEs directly employed by child care facilities – including those who do not work directly with children – are now eligible for the $4 per hour initiative.

Budget 2022 has provided almost $80 million in funding over the course of the next three years to expand this enhancement to all ECEs working in licensed childcare programs. This includes Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Supported Child Development support workers, as well as those working in administrative positions that spend less than 50% of their time working directly with children.

For further details on Budget 2022 and how the province intends to continue their role in improving childcare, please visit the BC Budget Government Webpage. Child care providers have received direct communication from Minister Chen on the ECE-WE and you are encouraged to share this letter with ECEs you know and work with.

Prior to the Budget 2022 eligibility expansion, ECE-WE was available only to front-line staff. A retroactive lump sum from September 1^st was paid out to operators for eligible ECEs in March 2022. This increase in ECE wages should be paid out by providers to ECEs within 30 days of receipt. As of April 1^st, eligible ECEs can claim for full $4 wage enhancement moving forward.

Welcome to the Ministry of Education and Child Care

On April 1, 2022, responsibility for child care moved to what is now known as the Ministry of Education and Child Care (ECC). ChildCareBC program information remains accessible on the ChildCareBC website.

the transition will not have any observable change to either child care operators or families in the way services or funding are delivered
providers will not be governed by school boards or responsible for delivering provincial curriculum
neither the Ministry or school districts will have any jurisdiction over early learning and child care on-reserve
this change fulfills Government’s commitment to move child care into the Ministry of Education to help ensure a more successful and seamless transition for B.C. children into the K-12 system
this move aligns with other governance models for child care across the country while also positioning and providing the opportunity to better serve and respond to the child care needs of communities

Inclusion training launch event: Foundations of Inclusive Child Care

The event is free to attend, and registration will be open until April 20, 2022.

Updated child care guidelines: International travel policy

The federal government recently updated its guidelines for travelers returning to Canada from international destinations, including children that will be returning to child care. Therefore, the CDC’s Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings have been updated to reflect this new information.

Specifically, any child who has travelled internationally must properly wear a well-constructed and well-fitting mask when in public for 14 days after returning to Canada – this includes child care facilities and schools. Infants under two years of age should not wear masks as it may make it difficult for them to breathe and may become a choking hazard. Additional details on the new requirements for COVID-19 vaccinated travellers can be found on the Federal Government’s web page.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Perseverance Award – Simon Fraser University’s Child Care Society

We would like to congratulate Simon Fraser University’s Child Care Society as the recipients of the Perseverance Award for the 2021 Child Care Awards of Excellence, accepted by Rachel Day.

This was a new award brought forward during the COVID-19 pandemic, to highlight the incredible work conducted by a child care team despite challenging times. SFU’s Morningside program for 3–5-year-olds has persevered in overcoming the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic to continue providing safe and high-quality child care to local families.

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the Province of BC YouTube page.

Edition 33, March 28, 2022

Travelers returning to Canada must wear masks for 14 days

The federal government recently updated its guidelines for travelers returning to Canada, including children that will be returning to child care. Any children who travelled internationally must properly wear a well-constructed and well-fitting mask when in public spaces for the first 14 days – including those children returning to a child care facility or school. Infants under two years of age should not wear masks as it may make it difficult for them to breathe and may become a choking hazard. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children are exempt from quarantine, without any limitations on their activities if their parents are fully vaccinated. This means they do not need to wait 14 days before attending child care, school, camp. Additional details on the new requirements for COVID-19 vaccinated travellers can be found on the Federal Government’s web page.

The BC Centre for Disease Control last updated its guidance for child care settings on March 18. They are being reviewed to incorporate this new federal policy and will be posted soon.

Did you miss last week’s COVID-19 Child Care Guidance Q&A?

On March 23, child care providers had the opportunity to enquire about the recently updated Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings. Questions were submitted beforehand and answered by Dr. Jason Wong, Associate Medical Director, Clinical Prevention Services, BC Centre for Disease Control, and Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, Deputy Medical Health Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health. If you were unable to attend, or missed this information session and would like to learn more, the session was recorded and posted Province of BC’s YouTube page.

Edition 32, March 22, 2022

Retroactive ECE-WE

As part of Government's ECE Recruitment and Retention Strategy, the additional $2 per hour wage enhancement for front-line Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) working in licensed child care facilities was sent to providers last week for hours worked between September 2021 and February 2022. Once providers receive their lump sum payments, they have 30 days to distribute it to eligible ECEs.

Starting on April 1, providers will be able to claim the wage enhancement for hours worked in March which will automatically reflect the $4 per hour rate. This is the third wage enhancement offered to licensed ECEs since September 2019 and it doubled the overall wage enhancement payment to $4 per hour.

Expanded ECE-WE

Starting April 1, 2022 and as part of Budget 2022, eligibility for the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE) is being expanded to support more ECEs than ever before. Now, all provincially certified ECEs who are directly employed by and working in eligible licensed facilities will benefit, regardless of the percentage of time they spend working in direct care of children.

This includes Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Supported Child Development support workers who are certified as ECEs and directly employed by eligible facilities.

You can view these changes in the updated 2022/23 ECE-WE Funding Guidelines on the Early Childhood Education Wage Enhancement web page.

Child Care Operating Funding and Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative renewals

Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) base funding and Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) funding has now been renewed for the majority of child care providers. By the end of this week, all renewing providers that have submitted completed applications on their CCOF and CCFRI funding will receive approval or temporary approval, provided that they are not asking for an April fee increase.

CCFRI temporary approvals for April increases

As previously communicated in the frequently asked questions section of the Child Care Operating Funding webpage, providers submitting fee increase requests that begin in April 2022 are not eligible for temporary approval. However, to ensure stable monthly fees for parents while we continue our assessments, those who submitted an April request may still defer their planned increase until May 2022 or later and receive temporary approval. This will allow providers to continue benefitting from CCFRI and pass along the same current savings to parents for the month of April. Child care providers with April fee increases were emailed information about this process today, March 22. Please note that the program is actively working on April fee increases so providers who opt to defer their fee increases only need to do so until their assessment is completed.

COVID-19 Health and Safety Grants

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in the Spring of 2020, government has provided multiple funding programs to support child care facilities and help offset additional costs associated with continuing to operate safely.

To date, more than $72.5 million in Child Care Health and Safety Grants have been distributed, including the latest 2022 Health and Safety Grant which was sent to providers between February 10 and March 4, 2022.

Employer Health Tax

The ministry reimburses eligible child care providers for additional costs incurred through the Employers Health Tax (EHT) as a result of their participation in the ECE-WE.

This week, reimbursements were sent to organizations with complete applications. The ministry will work with the remaining organizations to submit updated information.

Edition 31, March 18, 2022

Child Care Guidance Updated for Child Care Settings

Following Dr. Bonnie Henry’s relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions last week – such as no longer requiring mandatory masks or face coverings in low-risk, indoor public spaces – the Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings has also been reviewed and updated by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), in partnership with the Child Care COVID-19 Working Group. Adults (including staff, practicum students, volunteers and visitors) and children over two years old in child care settings may continue to wear a mask based on personal or family choice.

As independent organizations, child care operators are responsible for implementing their own health and safety policies, and for ensuring parents and families are up to date on these policies. Child care operators are encouraged to take the time needed to adjust their policies to best suit the needs of staff, children, and according to the latest BCCDC guidance.

Webinar on Updated Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings

On March 23 at 5:15 p.m., the Child Care Division will host a live webinar with Dr. Jason Wong from the BC Centre for Disease Control to answer questions on the latest update to Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings. Please use passcode 790129 or join by phone: 1-778-907-2071 using the same passcode.

If, after reviewing the updated guidance, you still have questions or want something clarified, you are invited to submit your questions by March 22 at 12:00 p.m. Questions will be answered during the live question and answer portion of the webinar.

Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement Retro-Pay

As part of the Province’s ECE Recruitment and Retention Strategy, front-line Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) working in licensed child care facilities have been eligible to receive a wage enhancement (WE) increase of $2 per hour, which was expanded by an additional $2 per hour for a total of $4 per hour. The additional $2 per hour WE is retroactive to September 1, 2021 and is being paid to providers next week. We appreciate your patience as we ensure that all eligible ECEs are captured in payments to each facility.

Effective April 1, eligibility for the ECE-WE will be expanded to all provincially certified ECEs who are directly employed by and working in eligible licensed facilities, regardless of the percentage of time they spend working in direct care of children. This includes Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Supported Child Development professionals who are directly employed by eligible licensed facilities.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Inclusive Practices Award – Hudson Child Care Society

We would like to congratulate the incredible work of the Hudson Child Care Society in Vancouver, which received the Inclusive Practices Award at the 2021 Child Care Awards. This award recognizes an ECL professional or team who has shown excellence and leadership in providing inclusive practices for children with extra support needs. This not-for-profit goes above and beyond to care for children with support needs by ensuring children with additional needs are prioritized for enrolment. They keep fees below market value, while keeping wages for staff in the 85th percentile. The Hudson Child Care Society supports as many families as possible by allowing families to share spaces. Program Manager Thomas Overstrom accepted the award on behalf of the group.

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the Province of BC YouTube page

Edition 30, March 3, 2022

Budget 2022: Affordable, Accessible, Quality Child Care

Budget 2022 was introduced on February 22nd, and today Ministers Chen, Robinson and Whiteside spoke about how it continues progress on the ChildCareBC plan to build a future where child care is a core service available to every family that wants it, when they need it, and at a price they can afford.

Under Budget 2022, the responsibility for ChildCareBC will move from the Ministry of Children and Family Development to the Ministry of Education to become the Ministry of Education and Child Care in April 2022.

Budget 2022 includes $2.503 billion over three years, including $284 million in new funding to continue to expand the ChildCareBC plan.

Together with federal investments, Budget 2022 lays out a plan to cut average child care fees by approximately 50% from 2019 levels for families with children ages five and under, by the end of 2022.

This average 50% reduction will be accomplished through our existing Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) program to ensure the least amount of additional administrative burden for providers and to allow the majority of parents to benefit. More information about how this will be rolled out will be available for providers and parents in the coming months.

Thanks to everyone who continues to play a role in supporting the ChildCareBC plan and passing along savings to parents.

Federal Government invests nearly $50M in ECE programs

On February 18th, Minister Chen announced that as part of the Canada-British Columbia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the federal government is providing a one-time, $49.2-million investment to support ECE Recruitment and Retention.

Funding will be allocated through several ECE supports, including:

$25.5 million to stabilize ECE student bursaries so they are available to students over several academic years
$11.6 million to support the development of a recruitment and retention incentive program to encourage new ECEs who become certified through the ECE Registry to work in the sector, and to improve information and understanding about ECE retention
$7.5 million in professional development, inclusion support and deaf and hard-of-hearing training and peer mentoring, including $3 million to be funded through West Coast Child Care Resource Centre for bursaries to help child care professionals access affordable professional learning
$2.3 million towards an expansion of work-integrated learning delivery options, providing more ECE students the opportunity to upgrade or obtain provincial certification while maintaining employment as a child care professional
$1.15 million for a Dual Credit Program so high school students can more quickly get their ECE certification (with the Province contributing $575,000 in 2021-22, in addition to funding from the ELCC agreement)
$750,000 to translate francophone ECE credentials or those from other countries to help certify new British Columbians to work as ECEs

Additional information about the new initiatives that are a part of this investment will be available soon.

Additional Information on Rapid Antigen Tests

All government-funded child care facilities across British Columbia should have now received a shipment of rapid antigen tests, to be used by adults in the facility experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. The Ministry has provided a limited number of tests for each facility and tests should only be used when needed. The provincial health office has indicated that the rapid antigen tests should not be used for children under five years old.

For instructions on how to use the Artron tests shipped to your facility, please consult the BC Center for Disease Control’s web page on Rapid Antigen Testing for COVID-19 to ensure the most accurate results. These tests have been approved by Health Canada and are safe and effective when used as intended. However, many test kits include liquid solutions with chemical preservatives that may be poisonous if swallowed or absorbed through the skin, particularly in children or pets. While the risk is very low, small quantities of liquid solutions may cause effects in small children and pets. If you have further questions on these tests, please consult our rapid antigen tests section on our Child Care Health and Safety page.

Additional COVID-19 Questions and Answers

We have followed up on questions asked during and since the January health and safety information session, Child Care: Discussing COVID-19 with Public Health. Those questions and answers can also be found on the Child Care Health and Safety page.

As previously noted by Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, the omicron variant of COVID-19 has been found to be highly transmissible, and as a result, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) observed an increase in cases among children up to four years old, as well as other age groups, between December 2021 and January 2022. However, children also remain at low risk of serious infection, as shown by the much lower rate of hospitalization or need for critical care. The BCCDC has been working to collect and share detailed data on COVID-19 cases of serious by age group. This information is available on the COVID-19 Regional Surveillance Dashboard, by clicking the BC COVID-19 Dashboard link.

ChildCareBC Engagement: Virtual focus group registration now open

Registration is still open to participate in a series of virtual focus groups that will help inform the next steps of the ChildCareBC plan as government builds a future where child care is a core service available to every family that wants it, when they need it, and at a price they can afford.

Your valuable input is sought for a number of focus groups on key topics over the coming weeks. The online focus groups are 75 minutes long, and participants will be given the opportunity to provide in-depth feedback. Some sessions have already occurred or are currently full, but space remains available for each topic.

To see the list of topics and dates, visit the registration page.

Alternatively, the online self-paced feedback form, which takes 30-60 minutes to complete, will remain open until March 17th. Questions are the same for both the online focus groups and the self-paced feedback form. Please choose the option that works best for you.

For more information about current and past engagements, visit the Early Learning and Child Care Engagement web page, which includes up-to-date information and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for each engagement topic.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Lenora Pritchard Award of Excellence - Shauna Alec

We would like to congratulate Shauna Alec of Lake Babine Nation as the recipient of the Lenora Pritchard Award of Excellence. As the director of early childhood education for Lake Babine Nation, Alec strives to build on the legacy Pritchard left behind through her Early Years Outreach program supporting hundreds of children and their families in Burns Lake and the surrounding area. Alec initiated the Lake Babine Nation Early Years Outreach Services, and since 2014, has created and continues to oversee multiple programs and services. Alec’s Early Years Outreach team provides meaningful supports and lasting impacts for up to 73 families and 243 children.

This award recognizes an Indigenous person who is deeply committed and passionate about serving children, families and their community, and promotes leadership in a child care setting by mentoring others. Pritchard was an early childhood educator who worked in many Indigenous communities throughout B.C., including Lake Babine Nation.

Congratulations Shauna!

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the Province of BC YouTube page.

Edition 29, February 17, 2022

Government announcement on supports for Early Childhood Educators

You are invited to join the Honourable Karina Gould, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ravi Kahlon, BC Minster of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, and Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care for an announcement about supports for early childhood educators.

Date: Friday, February 18, 2022

Time: 10:15 AM PST

COVID-19 changes to provincial health restrictions don’t change child care guidelines

On February 15th the Provincial Health Officer announced changes to some of the current restrictions in place related to gatherings and large events. As of February 17, many of these restrictions will be lifted, including for personal gatherings, indoor seated events and restaurants as they return to full capacity with no table limits and restrictions on mingling/dancing. Please note, these changes do not directly relate to child care facilities and the current precautions and public health guidance for child care settings will still apply. COVID-19 safety plans are also still in place, as are mask requirements in all public spaces. The child care guidelines will be reviewed as provincial health orders evolve to ensure alignment.

Just B4 early learning school-based pilot program expands

As part of Government’s ChildCareBC plan to increase access for families the Just B4 early childhood education pilot program is being expanded from one school district to six. The Province is investing an additional $125,000 to expand the early childhood education pilot program, which will support children the year before they enter kindergarten. Just B4 operates in conjunction with existing StrongStartBC (SSBC) programs by using available SSBC spaces in schools. This partnership maximizes the use of SSBC staff, space and resources within schools. In most cases, early childhood educators from SSBC also teach in Just B4. SSBC programs are taught in the mornings and the same staff teach Just B4 in the afternoons.

Health and Safety Grant 2022 – deadline extended for CCOF providers

Over 80% of eligible Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) facilities have now received their Child Care Health and Safety Grant (HSG). $10 a Day ChildCareBC Centres will receive the grant with their March payment.

CCOF providers do not need to apply to receive the HSG 2022; however, they must submit their January 2022 CCOF Enrolment Report. As a courtesy to support CCOF providers to receive the HSG 2022, the deadline to submit January 2022 Enrolment Reports has been extended to 11:59pm PT on February 28, 2022.

The HSG 2022 is a one-time payment to help CCOF and $10 a Day Centres operate as many licensed child care spaces as possible and offset the additional costs associated with operating safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Early Childhood Educator Registry website launching

The Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Registry is excited to launch new web content today. The site is intended to be more user-friendly and provides visitors with clear, easy to access information about the provincial requirements for ECE and ECE Assistant certification.

The application package and forms will also be updated to further clarify requirements and provide step-by-step instructions. As of February 17, 2022, the new application packages will replace the current forms. If you are in the process of filling out an application, the ECE Registry will continue to receive applications that have been completed on the current forms until May 1, 2022. After that date, applicants must apply using the new forms.

Child care officially moving to Ministry of Education for April 2022

It’s official; the Province has announced that accountability for child care will move to the Ministry of Education as of April, 2022. This move reflects what we’ve heard from the child care sector as necessary to support the learning and development journey of children, and marks another step in the Province’s ChildCareBC plan to build a system of child care that is a core service – one that is affordable, reliable, and available when parents need it.

There will be no change for child care operators as a result of this organizational transition. We will continue our commitment to ongoing engagement with First Nation, Metis and Inuit peoples, and the education and child care sectors on how child care can integrate into the broader learning environment. To learn more about how you can get involved in upcoming engagements, please visit the Early Care and Learning Engagement page on our ChildCareBC website.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Innovation Award - Beginnings Preschool of the Office of the Wet’suwet’en

We would like to congratulate Tara McKinnon of Wet’suwet’en Beginning Preschool as the recipient of the Child Care Awards of Excellence Innovation Award. McKinnon is an Early Childhood Development Program coordinator at the Wet’suwet’en Beginning Preschool in Smithers, British Columbia.

The program has been recognized for its innovative approach during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering parent support groups twice a week with the hereditary chief of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation to support cultural and traditional practices as well as language to their children. They also provide “circle time preschool” via Zoom for children, as well as 1-on-1 parent support. These approaches have received an incredible response and a better connected network for parents and families.

Congratulations Tara McKinnon and the Wet’suwet’en Beginning Preschool!

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the Province of BC YouTube page.

Edition 28, February 7, 2022

Additional Health and Safety Grant Available

Childcare operators and professionals have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep the staff and children in their centres safe.

In response to feedback from child care providers requesting support to help offset the costs associated with operating safely during the COVID-19 Pandemic, $20 Million in additional Health and Safety funding is being made available as a one-time payment to help all Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) and $10 a Day ChildCareBC sites.

The Health and Safety Grant will be paid to facilities that were open and operating in January 2022. You do not need to apply to receive the grant, which will be calculated at $160 multiplied by your facility’s maximum capacity. Eligible providers must submit their January 2022 CCOF Enrolment Report by 11:59 PM PST on February 28, 2022, or if they are a $10 a Day site, they will receive their grant in their March 2022 payment.

All eligible facilities will be receiving an email directly. For information and details on what expenses are eligible under the Health and Safety Grant, please visit the Investment in Child Care page on the Government of British Columbia’s site.

Clarifications to COVID-19 Guidance for Child Care Settings

Stemming from the questions received from child care providers and professionals, and in line with the clarifications that were made during the January 26th panel discussion, the Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings has been updated today, February 7^th, with clarifications on topics like self-isolation and what to do when you’re sick.

Video: Discussing COVID-19 with Public Health

Child Care: The “Discussing COVID-19 with Public Health” virtual info session held on January 26 is available on the Province of BC’s YouTube page for anyone who missed it. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, along with a panel of public health experts, answered questions and provided clarification on recent updates to Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings. Topics covered by the panel included:

Updated self-isolation guidance
Discretion for child care centres to have COVID-19 and sickness policies, and
Handling of reports from children and families with close transmission contacts.

Nearly 2,300 child care operators, providers and parents attended the event and many questions were answered live. The Engagement Team is finalizing some answers to some questions we were unable to get to and will send a notification when these answers are available.

Child Care COVID-19 Working Group

MCFD and the BC Centre for Disease Control have formed a Child Care COVID-19 Working Group to provide input on issues related to child care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, they have provided updates to the Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings, which have now been posted by BC Center for Disease Control.

The working group is currently made up of staff members from the Ministry of Children and Family Development and Ministry of Health, physicians from the BC Centre for Disease Control, members from the Provincial Child Care Council representing different types of child care providers, early childhood educators, Indigenous representatives, licensing and medical health officers with representation from all health authorities, and representatives from public, non-profit and private child care facilities. The group meets regularly and will continue to support the work of BCCDC until no longer needed.

In addition to the advice and guidance from members of the Working Group, all correspondence and questions received by the Minister’s Office and Ministry are reviewed and inform the discussions.

Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement increased to $4 an hour

Announced in Budget 2021, Early Childhood Educators who meet the eligibility criteria, will receive a total of $4 an hour wage top-up, through the Early Childhood Wage Enhancement. This increase came into effect on September 1, 2021 with payment implementation in March 2022. The recruitment and retainment of high quality, knowledgeable Early Childhood Educators (ECE) workforce is crucial to the success of ChildCareBC. Improving the recruitment and retention of Early Childhood Educators will enhance the over quality of childcare programs and supports the provinces commitment to creating new licensed childcare spaces. Further details on The Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE) is available on the Government of BC’s Webpage.

Updates: Renewal for 2022/23 CCOF, CCFRI and ECE-WE Launched January 31, 2022

Renewal for 2022/23 Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF), the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) and the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE) launched on January 31. Providers who want to ensure uninterrupted April payments will need to fill out their program confirmation form by February 17^th. More information about CCOF, CCFRI, ECE-WE and how to renew can be found on our Government of British Columbia Child Care Operating Funding webpage.

Parents of children with disabilities and other support needs - $30M in federal funding available

To further support access to child care for children with disabilities and other support needs, the Government of Canada has extended the application deadline for the Enabling Accessibility Fund. Nearly $30 million is available to child care centres to improve their physical accessibility by building ramps, or installing more easily accessible doors, washrooms and play structures so children of all abilities can fully participate in child care programs.

This is in line with the commitment to create a Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care system that is inclusive and accessible, allowing children and parents with disabilities and other support needs to fully access child care centres. The fund closes on February 14, 2022.

Early Learning and Child Care Small Projects Funding page.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Partnership Award (Government) - Métis Nation British Columbia and Métis Family Connections Program

We would like to congratulate both the Métis Nation British Columbia and Métis Family Connections Program as recipients of the Province of BC’s Partnership Award. These organizations connect Métis families with quality, inclusive and culturally relevant child care, leading to an incredible impact on the entire Indigenous child care sector. Debra Fisher and Colleen Hodgson attended the virtual ceremony to accept the award on behalf of these organizations.

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the Province of BC YouTube page.

Edition 27, January 26, 2022

COVID-19 tests available for child care facilities

As announced during the Provincial Health Officer’s media briefing on January 25th, we are pleased to share that government will be providing up to 250,000 rapid antigen tests to the child care sector.

These tests will be distributed directly to Ministry funded child care operators through BC Mail. We are working through the logistics of delivery and we will provide you with additional information around timing in the coming days.

Rapid antigen tests are an additional tool that can be used to support health and safety in child care facilities with the aim to reduce transmission of COVID-19.

The Ministry of Health and the Office of the Public Health Officer continue to direct how rapid antigen tests are best used as part of the provincial pandemic response, including if additional tests will be deployed for use in child care settings.

COVID-19 information session

The Ministry of Children and Family Development is hosted a COVID-19 information session to provide child care operators and providers with detailed information on recent updates to the COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings and provide the sector with an opportunity to ask questions.

The information session took place on Wednesday, January 26 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. The recording is now available on the Province of BC YouTube page.

Panelists for the info session will include Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer; Dr. Reka Gustafson, Vice President, Public Health and Wellness, Provincial Health Services Authority and Deputy Provincial Health Officer; Dr. Jason Wong, Associate Medical Director, Clinical Prevention Services, BC Centre for Disease Control and Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, Deputy Medical Health Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health.

Federal supports remain available

In addition to the COVID-19 supports offered to the child care sector by the Province, the Federal government is still accepting applications for the following:

Eligibility is for organizations that operate in critical sectors and child care is included.

For more detailed information on the various benefits, including if you qualify, please click on the federal webpage links above.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Daniela D'Onofrio

Daniela was nominated for a Child Care award of Excellence due to her commitment and passion to her preschool for an entire generation. Her exceptional work during the pandemic has brought her dedication into the spotlight. Daniela completed her Early Childhood Education at Vancouver Island University and has been enjoying her work in the field for 20 years.

Congratulations Daniela D’Onofrio!

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the Province of BC YouTube page.

BC Educator Wins National Award

Maria Rodrigues, a preschool supervisor from University Hill Preschool at UBC, has been recognized as a Prime Minister Award recipient for Excellence in Early Childhood Education.

Over 300 educators have been honoured since the award was first given out in 2002, recognizing leadership, exemplary early childhood education practices, and commitment to helping build the foundation children need to make the best possible start in life.

“…With her holistic approach to teaching, Maria Rodrigues succeeds in inclusion and empowerment for all children, and contributes to an immensely successful preschool program.” – Parent

Maria’s approach to programming is child-centred and flexible, with the foundation that that if given the right access and opportunity, children will follow their curiosity. This allows children to actively participate and shape their own learning experience for themselves and the community.

Matching international Early Childhood Educators with employers

Destination Canada Education is hosting an Early Childhood job fair next month that will connect internationally-trained French-speaking and bilingual Early Childhood Educators and teachers with Canadian employers.

Organized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the event will help Canadian employers seeking to hire Francophone early childhood educators and assistants. The event will also provide an opportunity for those interested to learn about provincial licensing requirements and different immigration pathways to employment.

The event will take place on February 25 - 26 from 6:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Participation is free. Please visit the Destination Canada Education website by January 31st to register.

2021 Archive

Edition 26, December 30, 2021

K-12 Graduated Return to School

On December 29, 2021, the Province announced a delayed return to class in the K-12 sector in order to give public health and BC schools additional time to learn more about the impacts of the Omicron variant on communities and schools, and to support the safe continuation of in-class learning.

Please be advised that the Public Health Office has reviewed the COVID Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings and has made no changes to the operations of child care associated with the K-12 announcement, including the child care on school grounds. Child care health and safety guidance from the BC CDC remains the same since its last update of December 20, 2021. Child care providers are reminded that the vaccination of child care workers is the best defense against the spread of COVID 19. Further, operators are encouraged to remain diligent on key safety measures and follow public health guidance including doing a daily health check and staying home when sick, cleaning hands regularly, and ensuring that adults inside child care settings wear masks.

Edition 25, December 20, 2021

Flood damage may be eligible for Maintenance Funding

Following the heavy rainfall and flooding around the province, Childcare BC is reminding child care operators that the Maintenance Fund is here to support providers in times of emergency – this is defined as sudden and unexpected conditions that directly impact children’s health and safety or may result in immediate facility closure.

The Maintenance Funding started in 2018 to assist licensed providers with necessary repairs or replacing eligible items that are unrelated to routine or regular service. Funding may also help with expenses from relocation costs, if relocation is required for compliance under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.

Further updates to COVID-19 Health Guidance for Child Care Settings - December 20, 2021

The BC Centre for Disease Control has made slight changes to public health guidance for child care settings. Changes include the hierarchy for infection prevention and exposure control measures for communicable diseases, and further clarity around exceptions to indoor mask wearing when providing a service where visual cues, facial expressions and/or lip reading/movements are important.

Start-up Grants still available

Designed to increase the number of licensed child care spaces in B.C., Start-Up Grants is part of our Child Care BC plan to assist personal residence child care operators with the costs associated with obtaining Group Care, Family, and In-Home Multi-Age (IHMA) licence types under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and Child Care Licensing Regulation.

Applicants are encouraged to review information on how to open a licensed child care facility, and to contact their regional Health Authority Licensing Office prior to applying to become familiar with licensing regulations in their area.

Up to $70,000 from Federal Government for Child Care Inclusion Projects

The Government of Canada launched a Call for Proposals (CFP) for the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) sector on December 3, 2021, which will close on January 28, 2022. The Enabling Accessibility Fund will help create an accessible Canada-wide ELCC system, allowing children and parents with disabilities to better access child care. This fund will support projects up to $70,000 per proposal for new construction, renovation, and/or retrofit of ramps, accessible doors, accessible washrooms, accessible play structures and sensory rooms.

The CFP is first-come-first-served and will prioritize non-profit regulated or licensed child care organizations. Additional information can be found in this Government of Canada news release and eligibility requirements and application details can be found at the website link above.

Sector engagement first steps - Information Session

On December 1, 2021, the ministries of Children and Family Development (MCFD) and Education officially began sector-wide engagements via a virtual information session on the future of child care. A recording is now available on the Early Learning and Child Care Engagement website, along with a full transcript.

MCFD is now following up with an invitation to provide input on policy development. This self-paced online feedback form will remain open until February 15, 2022. If you were unable to watch the virtual information session, we encourage you to do so first.

Please check the Early Learning and Child Care Engagement website often for future opportunities to share your expertise.

Check Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB) application status: My Family Services Portal

The My Family Services portal has been updated to make it easier for parents to see the current status of their application or renewal request for the Affordable Child Care Benefit.

Parents can now track the status of their request using a new graphic status bar that shows the current stage of processing and the expected completion date. To save time, please encourage parents in your child care community to check the status indicator before calling the program.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Vanessa Lee

Vanessa Lee is a recipient of the 2021 Child Care Award of Excellence for the Island region and operates Storyoga in Victoria.

Vanessa encourages the whole early learning and child care community to strive for excellence. She combines children’s literature and yoga, with a strong emphasis on providing a natural, sensory-rich environment for children to explore. Vanessa empowers children, parents, staff and the community with her passion along with her selfless attitude and dedication.

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the BC Government YouTube page.

Edition 24, November 18, 2021

Prototype Site decisions

Thank you to those child care operators who applied for B.C.’s Universal Child Care Prototype Sites expansion. We have received many high-quality applications that demonstrate healthy enthusiasm and a promising start to our $10/day expansion efforts. Unfortunately, processing this number of applications has resulted in unexpected delays. We hope to begin informing successful facilities over the coming weeks, with all applicants notified as soon as possible.

Improved system for Children and Youth with Support Needs

The Ministry has announced the creation of its new community-based service approach for children and youth with support needs, and their families. The new approach, which is rooted in research, good practice and the voices and lived experiences of Indigenous and non-Indigenous families, caregivers, service providers, advocacy organizations and professionals, will see the creation of about 40 low barrier family connections hubs across the province by fall 2024, beginning with two early implementation areas in the Northwest and Central Okanagan.

Hubs will offer core services including physical, occupational and speech language therapy, behaviour consultation and intervention, mental health supports and family support, tailored to the unique needs of their communities. Access to services will be based on needs rather than diagnosis, opening the door to many children and youth, including those with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, brain injury and others who have previously been underserved –improving access to culturally safe, trauma-informed services and supports for families in rural and Indigenous communities, and those from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Early Learning and Child Care Engagement

As the Province advances its Childcare BC Plan, the Ministries of Children and Family Development and Education want to hear from a broad range of child care partners – from child care providers, community service partners, parent organizations, distinctions-based child care for First Nations, Metis and Inuit families, local governments, 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.

There will be several ways to participate over the coming months, but the first is to join us for a virtual information session on December 1^st at 6:30pm. Register for this session and subscribe to our Early Learning and Child Care Engagement page to be notified of upcoming participation opportunities.

New Child Care Legislation becomes law

The Early Learning and Child Care Act, and the Early Childhood Educators Act became law on October 28, 2021. Each are important steps in streamlining early learning and child care legislation to meet the diverse needs of B.C. families, early childhood educators (ECEs) and child care providers.

The Early Learning and Child Care Act is part of government’s ongoing commitment to making child care more affordable, and will expand the use of child care grants to improve inclusiveness of child care programs for more families throughout B.C. The Early Childhood Educators Act will highlight the importance of ECE education, better facilitate recognition of ECE credentials, improve oversight to support the sector and help the Province recruit and retain ECEs.

The acts are part of the foundation for an inclusive, universal child care system in B.C. and will be adapted over time based on consultation and input from the child care sector, advocates, families, and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit partners.

Employer Health Tax reimbursement now available

Child care operators are eligible to apply for reimbursement of any Employer Health Tax (EHT) they are required to pay as a result of receiving the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement (ECE-WE).

This reimbursement ensures the amount of EHT paid does not change due to their participation in the ECE-WE. The deadline to apply for EHT Reimbursement for the 2020 tax year is December 31, 2021. Visit the CCOF ECE-WE webpage for more information.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Keely Freeman

Founder of the Nanaimo Innovation Academy, Keely Freeman was honoured as a recipient of the 2021 Child Care Award of Excellence – Emerging Leader award.

Founded in 2018, the Nanaimo Innovation Academy is a non-profit facility that utilizes various educational philosophies, as children learn about Nanaimo's various ecosystems, environmental sustainability, and where their food comes from.

Keely is a gifted leader, who is dedicated to finding creative ways to meet community needs and believes that getting dirty in nature is an inalienable right. Her facility also involves the community with shared potlucks, outdoor excursions, and guest speakers for the whole family.

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the BC Government YouTube page.

Edition 23, October 18, 2021

Seamless Day Kindergarten Expansion

Budget 2021 included support to expand the Seamless Day Kindergarten pilot, from four to 25 schools throughout the province.

Today, Ministers Chen and Whiteside held an event in Langley to announce the School Districts that will be participating.

The expanded pilot program will employ certified Early Childhood Educators in providing both before and after school care within existing classroom spaces and provide additional learning support for classroom teachers. As these spaces will be used outside of school hours, no additional rooms or buildings are required.

When the Seamless Day pilot was initially launched, some school age providers asked what it might mean for existing child care providers. Government will continue to work with all child care providers, including public, non-profit, family, and private/for-profit child care providers on the path to ensuring inclusive universal access for all families who want child care, when they need it.

There continues to be a province-wide shortage of child care spaces for all ages, and the Seamless Day pilot is just one option Government is exploring to ensure families have access to the type of school-age child care that’s right for them.

Government will conduct research to find out what difference this project is making for children and families. Following the pilot program over the 2021/22 school year, the Ministry will evaluate the program’s benefits before a decision is made on whether to implement the program more broadly.

Inclusive Child Care Updates, Toolkit, and CanAssist Resources

The Ministry of Children and Family Development invites you to explore its new Inclusive Child Care web page, featuring the Inclusive Child Care Toolkit.

This is the new online home for information on programs and services for children with support needs. The Toolkit is designed for all child care staff including ECEs, ECE assistants, support staff, managers, and operators. It can be used as a guide for developing an inclusive child care plan and enhancing understanding of inclusive child care practices and how to implement them in your facility.

New resources to support toileting in child care developed by CanAssist were recently delivered to hundreds of providers free of charge. In addition, CanAssist worked with more than 300 child care providers, parents, and subject matter experts, including occupational therapists, to develop toileting resources and supports for child care providers and families.

As committed in Budget 2021, the Province is expanding Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Supported Child Development service access to an additional 2,000 children. This programing is a key component of delivering a quality inclusive universal system of child care. The goal of this funding is to reduce wait times and increase access to inclusive child care. Some children who are already receiving support may receive increased hours of support. Additionally, the funds are intended to reduce disparity between SCD and ASCD programs.

If you have not already done so, you may want to consider connecting with your local CYSN office to explore other programs or ways to find supports. Please visit our Children & Youth with Support Needs page to review up to date information on supports and funding currently available to the families in British Columbia, as well as information on how to contact your local your local Ministry of Children and Family Development office.

In the weeks ahead we hope to share some community stories of how this work is directly supporting families. Profiles will be shared on the Inclusive Child Care page above.

ECE Education Support Fund - Fall 2021

New bursaries will soon be available for early childhood education students enrolled in the fall 2021 semester. The upcoming intake will open on October 25 and close November 5 at 4 p.m.

Funding for this semester will be prioritized to students who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Metis, Inuit), those completing their final requirements for certification this semester, and those who are upgrading their credentials to include Infant/Toddler and/or Special Needs Educator qualifications.

Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis and funding will be distributed upon proof of course completion. Successful applicants will be notified on December 15th.

ECE BC is hosting an online bursary support Webinar on October 21 to assist with the application process. Prospective applicants must register ahead of time.

Child Care Mask Policy for K-12 Students

Dr. Bonnie Henry has issued an updated mask mandate for children. The Provincial Health Office and BC CDC are currently reviewing the guidance for child care centres, and that guidance will be shared, in full, when it has been updated. In the meantime, all school-aged children in indoor child care settings – both on and off school grounds – will be required to wear masks. This also applies to adults working at child care centres, including after-hours custodial staff, and visitors to these centres.

The BC Centre for Disease Control also has child care specific information available, including guidance for parents and frequently asked questions.

If you have questions about how public health guidance fits within your specific circumstances, we encourage you to reach out to your local licensing officer.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Lynette Mikalishen

The director of child care services at the YMCA of Northern BC, Lynette Mikalishen, was honoured as recipient of the 2021 Child Care Award of Excellence for the North Region.

Lynette has served in this role for more than a decade and during this time has expanded the organization’s reach to support child care spaces in Prince George, while expanding child care services to Vanderhoof, Fort St. James, Fort St. John, and Chetwynd. She is also an innovator who has both lead and advocated for initiatives to address the childcare shortage in northern British Columbia through Early childhood Educator training and education.

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the BC Government YouTube page.

Edition 22, September 17, 2021

New Spaces Fund open to applications

The Childcare BC New Spaces Fund is now open for applications. To maximize the number of child care spaces created in high-need areas across the province, the following changes have been made for 2021-22:

Eligible organizations include public sector, not-for-profit organizations (societies), Indigenous governments and Indigenous not-for-profit organizations only
An increased priority for projects creating Infant/Toddler child care spaces
Focus on full-time 0-5 licence types and school age licence types including School Age Care on School Grounds as an eligible licence type for funding

More detailed information and the application form can be found on the Childcare BC website.

Start-Up Grants still available

Designed to increase the number of licensed child care spaces in B.C., Start-Up grants assist child care operators with the costs associated with obtaining a Group Care, Family, and In-Home Multi-Age (IHMA) licence type under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and Child Care Licensing Regulation.

Applicants are encouraged to review information on how to open a licensed child care facility, and to contact their regional Health Authority Licensing Office prior to applying, to become familiar with licensing regulations in their area.

Did you apply for the Maintenance Fund?

As the Province begins to emerge from wildfire season, Childcare BC is reminding child care operators that the Maintenance Fund is here to support providers in times of emergency. An emergency is defined as sudden and unexpected conditions that directly impacts children’s health and safety or may result in immediate facility closure. (i.e. fire damage, flooding of facility, fencing damaged due to storm, etc.).

The Childcare BC Maintenance Fund is available to assist licensed providers with necessary repairs or replacing eligible items that are unrelated to routine or regular service. Funding may also help with expenses from relocation costs, if the relocation is required for compliance under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.

Truth and Reconciliation Day - September 30

The federal government announced September 30th as a new annual statutory day to commemorate the history and ongoing trauma caused by residential schools and to honour those who were lost and the survivors, families and communities who continue to grieve.

In B.C., public schools, post-secondary institutions, research universities, Crown corporations and provincial government offices will be closed. However, private sector businesses – including child care facilities – are encouraged to make their own decisions about opening or closing on September 30th. The Province has made no recommendation regarding child care centres observing the statutory day of commemoration.

Child Care Subsidy Regulation Amendment now in effect

The Child Care Subsidy Regulations have recently been amended. This means families with children enrolled in the new School Aged Care on School Grounds category of licensed child care are now eligible for the Affordable Child Care Benefit.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Hollie Henderson

Hollie Henderson is a recipient of the 2021 Child Care Award of Excellence in the Early Care and Learning (ECL) Leadership category. The Executive Director of Maven Lane in Vernon, one of the largest child care facilities in Canada, oversees programming for more than 500 children.

Hollie’s ability to manage growth of this magnitude comes from her steadfast priorities - quality of care and appreciation of educators. Maven Lane has collaborated with the community, municipality, and local organizations to build capacity, and diversification through creativity. They have implemented an outdoor education curriculum to promote outdoor play and invested in innovative outdoor spaces.

Hollie was recently recognized for her ECL Learning Leadership Award in the Vernon Morning Star.

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the BC Government YouTube page.

Edition 21, August 20, 2021

Province signs ELCC Agreement extension

The Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia have reached an agreement on a four-year extension of the Canada-British Columbia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

B.C. will receive over $272 million in funding to improve access to high-quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive early learning and child care programs and services. In addition, the federal government is making a one-time investment of $48.8 million in 2021-2022 to support our early childhood educator recruitment and retention efforts. This ensures that funding will continue to be available to support child care programs and services until March 2025.

Apply for the National ELCC Advisory Council

The Government of Canada is creating a National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care, and they are now accepting applications.

The council will be made up of 12-14 members who reflect Canada’s geography and experts across various fields of expertise. They are looking for individuals with knowledge and experience from across the early learning and child care sector such as:

academics and advocates, such as professors, researchers and foundation leaders;
practitioners, such as early childhood educators, child care service providers and union representatives; and
individuals with experience in a caregiving capacity for children aged 0-5, such as parents, grandparents and guardians.

The deadline to apply is September 28, 2021.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Magdalena Amestica

Magdalena Amestica is a recipient of the 2021 Child Care Award of Excellence, Lifetime Achievement Award. Her first calling has always been working with children and she enjoys working in the Indigenous communities.

At 88 years old, Magdalena continues to work full-time with the Metis Community Services Society of BC, providing therapy and love for all the children she works with. She is originally from Chile and first came to Canada in 1975. Her resume lists 21 different programs and projects she volunteered with between 1970 and 1997. Magdalena is highly respected in the child care sector and in all situations, she advocates for calmness, authenticity and composure.

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the BC Government YouTube page.

Prototype Sites expansion

As of July 20, 2021, the Universal Child Care Prototype Initiative is open for new applications. All child care operators who meet the list of eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply.

Visit the website for full details on the program and the application process, including an application tutorial video, applicant guide, FAQs and key definitions.

Applications will be accepted until August 31, 2021.

Childcare BC Engagement: Two surveys open

Inclusive Child Care: Professional Learning Needs

Remember to complete the Inclusive Child Care: Professional Learning Needs Survey before it closes on September 13, 2021. This survey asks questions about current knowledge, training and professional learning, barriers to accessing these, as well as how we can better support inclusive child care in B.C. We encourage everyone to share their knowledge and experience to help shape the future of Childcare BC.

2021 Child Care Professionals Pool Refresh

If you are interested in being involved in other child care engagements in the coming months, complete the 2021 Child Care Professionals Pool Refresh before it closes on September 30. To assist us in getting your expert feedback on the next phase of Childcare BC and the creation of an inclusive, universal child care system, we are establishing a pool of child care professionals interested in participating in upcoming engagements. The questionnaire will ask for professional demographic information specific to your credentials and the child care facility where you work as well as methods and topics of engagement that interest you. It will take less than 10 minutes to complete.

Edition 20, July 28, 2021

Launching the Prototype Sites Expansion

We have been keeping you updated on the expansion of the Universal Child Care Prototype Sites program announced in Budget 2021, and we are happy to say the Province is now accepting applications. This investment will more than double the current number of centres offering $10-a-day child care in B.C. Applications will be accepted until August 31, 2021.

And as part of a new agreement with the Government of Canada, even more families will soon benefit from $10-a-day child care as a further 6,000 spaces are expected to be available to families by December 2022. Child care providers who apply for the current expansion will be considered for all future expansion opportunities.

Métis Nation BC Children's Newsletter

Métis Nation British Columbia, the organization that develops cultural and economic services for 38 Métis communities in B.C., is sharing its Learn With Louis newsletter for children. Follow the link to read facts about the history and culture of Canada’s Métis people, ideas for educational and physical activities, links to further resources, and bite-sized lessons on the Michif language. And don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of their main webpage.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Myrtle Johnson

Myrtle Johnson is a recipient of the 2021 Child Care Award of Excellence in the Interior region. Myrtle is a dedicated Early Childhood Educator at Cathy’s Daycare in the Secwepemc community of Esk’etemc, south of Williams Lake.

The facility started in sister Cathy’s basement over 40 years ago. Myrtle was nominated for her exemplary life-long learning, which she brings to the children in her care by always seeking new ways to engage and motivate. Myrtle is passionate about teaching the Secwepemc language and culture, especially to the youngest learners. She is a mentor to many for her language and traditional knowledge and for her strong belief that everything that exists today is for the next generation. Through continually building herself, she inspires current and future generations with creativity and ingenuity.

Child Care Awards of Excellence Spotlight: Edna Johnson

Edna Johnson is another recipient of the 2021 Child Care Award of Excellence for the Interior, and also works at Cathy’s Daycare in Esk’etemc.

Edna was nominated for demonstrating a powerful vision and strong advocacy for the children of Esk’etemc. She has been a supportive voice to young parents who often have questions about parenting. Edna is known for taking time not only to build relationships with families, but even to ensure they have food and supplies they may need. She inspires others with her genuine care for children’s wellbeing and plays an important role in developing the young people of the community into adulthood.

The Child Care Awards of Excellence ceremony premiered on May 25, 2021 and can be viewed on the BC Government YouTube page.

New Childcare BC Newsletter Format

We hope you enjoyed reading the new Childcare BC Bulletin, formerly the COVID-19 Update for Child Care Operators, Providers, and Partners Newsletter.

Many of you responded to our recent survey about the format and usefulness of the former newsletter, so we have made changes to improve your experience. This includes optimizing the format for web viewing instead of a PDF and expanding content beyond COVID-19 updates.

Thank you for your feedback and we hope you continue to find these updates useful and informative!

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The B.C. Public Service acknowledges the territories of First Nations around B.C. and is grateful to carry out our work on these lands. We acknowledge the rights, interests, priorities, and concerns of all Indigenous Peoples - First Nations, Métis, and Inuit - respecting and acknowledging their distinct cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments.