ChildCareBC Bulletin

Edition 118, June 10, 2026

Archived editions

Celebrating Indigenous History Month

Indigenous History Month celebrates and honours the rich heritage, diverse cultures, languages, and histories of Indigenous Peoples throughout British Columbia and across Canada.

You can learn more about the Indigenous communities around you through this interactive map, and download the Reconciliation: A Starting Point app to deepen your understanding of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, including significant historical events and ongoing reconciliation efforts.

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

The Ministry of Education and Child Care is committed to consultation and cooperation with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and collaborating with Indigenous partners to develop distinctions-based, culturally safe approaches to child care and wraparound services. For more information on how to access Indigenous-led child care, as well as additional child care resources and supports, please visit the Information for First Nations, Métis and Inuit families web page.

While Indigenous History Month is a time to celebrate the rich cultures and contributions of Indigenous Peoples, it is also a time for reflection. It is important to acknowledge the lasting impacts of colonialism and assimilation policies, including the intergenerational impacts of historical trauma on mental health and well-being. For those seeking support with mental health, there are Indigenous-focused mental health resources available on the Mental Health and Wellness Supports page on the First Nations Health Authority website.

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June is Pride Month

Pride Month is a time to come together to recognize, honour, and celebrate the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. This includes those who identify as Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and those with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

In Canada, early Pride demonstrations began in Ottawa and Vancouver in 1971. Pride events soon expanded to cities across the country, including Montréal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Saskatoon by the mid-1970s. Today, Pride celebrations take place in communities of all sizes in many countries around the world.

There are many ways to learn and get involved with this year’s Pride celebrations. 

Learning 

• Learn about the history of Canadian Pride
• Check out the erase website for resources and information about sexual orientation and gender diversity in B.C. schools

Pride events throughout B.C.

• Cranbrook Pride in the Park: June 13
• (Vancouver) East Side Pride Community Festival: June 27-28
• Prince George Pride Parade & Picnic: July 4
• Victoria Pride Parade and Festival 2026: July 12
• Vancouver Pride Parade: August 2
• Nelson Pride: August 23-30

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FIFA 2026 preparation considerations

Vancouver will be one of sixteen host cities for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, with seven matches taking place this summer at BC Place Vancouver.

An event of this scale will also bring increased traffic, road closures and higher transit demand, particularly in and around the downtown core on the seven match days.

Child care providers and families should know what to expect and how to plan ahead to ensure children arrive safely. The City has advised that the following traffic impacts will occur:

• From May 23 through the end of July, Pacific Boulevard will be closed between the Cambie Street Bridge off-ramp and Carrall Street to expand the stadium footprint and ensure public safety.
• Walking and cycling routes will largely remain open, including the False creek seawall, with detours where needed.
• On the seven match days (see below dates), additional temporary road closures and restrictions will be in place near BC Place Vancouver.
  • Saturday, June 13, 9 pm
  • Thursday, June 18, 3 pm
  • Sunday, June 21, 6 pm
  • Wednesday, June 24, 12 pm
  • Friday, June 26, 8 pm
  • Thursday, July 2, 8 pm
  • Tuesday, July 7, 1 pm

TransLink will increase service across Metro Vancouver, including buses, SkyTrain and SeaBus to encourage alternative ways to travel. Please visit their website for trip planning: Taking Transit to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Vancouver | TransLink

For more details about the event-related road closures, including maps, please visit the Vancouver Host City website at: Road Closures

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Building capacity for inclusive child care: Launch of webinar series

CanAssist at the University of Victoria invites members of the child care workforce to join the first session in its new quarterly Inclusive Child Care webinar series. This introductory webinar will present the Leaders of Inclusive Child Care course available on the Hub for BC Early Years Professionals, outlining how it supports inclusive program development with practical tools and real-world strategies.

Attendees will also learn about the five regional Communities of Practice, where leaders meet monthly to share insights, troubleshoot challenges, and strengthen inclusive approaches together. Whether you're new to inclusive child care or looking to deepen your leadership, this session will help you get connected, get inspired, and get started.

The first webinar will be held on Wednesday 24th June, 6 pm - 7 pm. Register here to build a more inclusive future for child care in B.C.

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Reminder: Public engagement now open to gather input on the future of child care in B.C.

Since the launch of ChildCareBC in 2018, families have seen substantially lower fees, more spaces, and a bigger early learning and child care workforce. The Province is continuing to build on this progress and is seeking input to guide the future of child care in B.C. through a new online survey for families, early childhood educators and child care operators.

This survey is voluntary and is separate from the ongoing mandatory Provider Profile Survey.

The survey can be found at gov.bc.ca/childcaresurvey. Please feel free to share the survey poster with your networks.

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Reminder: Emergency Management Resource Package and Key Contacts 2026

To support emergency preparedness and planning across the education and child care sectors, the Ministry of Education and Child Care is sharing an updated emergency management resource package. These resources support preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery planning.

• The K-12 Education and Child Care: Emergency Management Key Contacts (PDF) lists current contacts at the ministry and other educational partners to support emergency response coordination and information sharing

• The K-12 Education and Child Care: Emergency Management Resource Package (PDF) 2026 includes key resources to help schools and child care facilities plan for, respond to, and recover from incidents/emergencies such as wildfires, heat events, floods or other risks

Child care providers are encouraged to review and share this information to help strengthen emergency readiness.

Questions may be directed to the ministry’s Expect Respect and a Safe Education (erase) team at erase@gov.bc.ca.

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