Apply for or renew Child Care Operating Funding

The deadline to apply for funding for February or March 2026 is February 17, 2026. Applications received after this date will be assessed for funding starting April 1, 2026.

Use My ChildCareBC Services to apply for or renew funding.

IMPORTANT: Before submitting a renewal application:

• Review service details in Schedule A of the current 2025-26 funding agreement and advise the program of any changes to avoid application delays
• Review the 2026-27 Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and 2026-27 Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement funding guidelines, including the application criteria for new centres, centres that are new to the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and modified facilities

To complete the application or renewal, providers will need:

• Primary business BCeID
• A scanned copy or photograph of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act  licence for each centre requesting funding

If opting into the fee reduction program, providers will also need:

• Full-time parent fees for the funding term. New applicants to the fee reduction program will also need parent fees from the previous 12 months:
  • These are the highest fees charged to parents for full-time care
  • Full-time is considered over four hours per day, five days per week
  • If the centre offers care for 4 hours or less each day, include the fee that would be charged for over 4 hour care that would be cha, excluding preschool care
  • If care is not offered at the centre five days per week, report the highest daily fee for over 4 hour care that would be charged for that care category or contact the Child Care Service Centre for assistance
• Centre closure dates, if the centre charges child care fees while closed, excluding statutory holidays

The 2026-27 Child Care Operating Funding agreement will be emailed to renewing providers by February 25, 2026.

It is important to read and understand the funding agreement in full before agreeing to the terms and conditions on the program confirmation form. Providers should also check that the centre name, licence, and service details in Schedule A of the funding agreement match their current Community Care and Assisted Living Act licence. If Schedule A is not accurate, contact the Child Care Service Centre immediately.

If approved, providers will receive a notification through My ChildCareBC Services that their funding agreement is active. They will also receive separate notifications regarding fee reduction and wage enhancement applications.

Report any changes to licence and service details within two business days through My ChildCareBC Services.

Providers approved for base funding, fee reduction or wage enhancement must meet all obligations in the funding agreement on an ongoing basis. Below are the key next steps for each type of funding.

Once approved for base funding, providers are required to:

• Submit monthly enrolment reports between the 15th of the prior month and the last day of the sixth month following the applicable reporting month. For example, submit enrolment reports for April between March 15 and October 31
• Report any changes to licence and service details within two business days through My ChildCareBC Services

Providers applying for fee reductions or wage enhancements are not required to reduce their parent fees or enhance staff wages until they receive written approval from the Child Care Operating Funding program. Any reduction in fees passed on to parents or a wage enhancement passed on to staff prior to receiving approval are at the provider’s sole discretion and responsibility.

Once approved for the fee reduction, providers are required to:

• Calculate the fee reduction amount for each child using Schedule C of the funding agreement
• Inform families in writing
  • Notify families that the provider is approved to participate in the fee reduction program
  • Include the family’s fee reduction amount and any ministry-approved fee increases
  • Share any relevant information related to the Child Care Operating Funding agreement
• Inform staff in writing
• Advise staff if a fee increase was approved based on the intention to increase wages
• Reduce parent fees
  • Apply the approved fee reduction rates for families
  • Keep fees at the ministry-approved amounts
  • Obtain ministry approval before implementing any fee increase
• Comply with the funding agreement
  • Remain enrolled for the duration of the funding agreement, unless otherwise approved in writing by the ministry
  • Refer to your specific funding agreement in My ChildCareBC Services for details

Download the following optional support documents:

• Parent notification template
• Staff notification template

Once approved for the wage enhancement program, providers are required to:

• Within 30 days, notify all eligible early childhood educators in writing of their participation
• Before submitting a monthly early childhood educator report, use the document(s) below to collect written acknowledgement from all eligible early childhood educators confirming their knowledge, consent, and authorization for providers to collect and disclose to the ministry their personal information and other information for the purposes of administering, planning, evaluating, and auditing the wage enhancement program
• Submit monthly early chilhood educator reports between the 1st of the following month and the last day of the sixth month following the applicable reporting month. For example, submit reports for April between May 1 and October 31

Download the following support documents:

• ECE notification template (optional template)
• ECE Employee Acknowledgement (PDF)
• ECE Owner/Co-Owner Acknowledgement (PDF)

After the program confirmation form is submitted, the Child Care Operating Funding program will review and assess the information using eligibility criteria outlined in the funding guidelines. Providers may be contacted to make corrections or provide more information. Once the review and assessment are complete, providers will receive separate notifications with the outcome of the application for base funding, and if applicable, the fee reduction and wage enhancement programs.

Providers are not required to reduce parent fees or enhance staff wages until they receive written approval from the Child Care Operating Funding program. Any reduction in fees passed on to parents or wage enhancements passed on to staff prior to receiving approval are at the provider’s sole discretion and responsibility.

If you have already submitted the program confirmation form, call the Child Care Operating Funding program to report any changes.

After the terms and conditions of the funding agreement have been agreed to, providers must report any changes to licence and service details within two business days through My ChildCareBC Services. Depending on the changes, the funding agreement may need to be updated, which could affect funding. For more details and to report any changes, visit the Report changes web page.

Providers who have requested fee increases at or below the fee increase limit, who submit complete applications and have signed funding agreements, will receive an approval notification of their Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative participation in a few business days.

Wherever possible, the Child Care Operating Funding program will work with providers who are renewing their fee reduction funding to give temporary approval until a final decision is made. This ensures stable monthly fees for families while the ministry completes its assessment.

However, providers with a fee increase scheduled for April cannot be offered temporary approval. In this situation, the Child Care Operating Funding program will continue to work with providers and prioritize their application to ensure minimal disruption to payment. Providers can help speed up this process by submitting their program confirmation form and responding to all ministry queries as soon as possible.