Ella Dalling has been on daycare waitlists for her nine-month-old daughter Murph since early in her pregnancy. Despite applying to around 20 daycares in Vancouver, she has not received any responses. In British Columbia, where daycare fees are unregulated, prices can vary widely from $200 to $2,000 per month. Dalling emphasized the urgency of securing a spot in a daycare, regardless of the cost.
To address the challenges faced by parents seeking daycare options, Dalling created an online platform called Little Scout. This platform allows daycares to list their available spots and enables parents to find nearby options. Through interactions with parents and daycare operators across the province, Dalling has discovered widespread agreement that the current daycare system requires enhancements.
A recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives highlighted that British Columbia lags behind other provinces in providing universal affordable childcare. The province’s childcare landscape comprises a mix of private and non-profit facilities, with varying levels of government support and fee structures.
David Macdonald, a co-author of the report, noted the complexity of determining childcare costs in British Columbia. While the province has made some progress in securing child-care funding, parents in regions with fee caps are experiencing greater savings than those in British Columbia.
Comparatively, six provinces and territories have implemented fee caps for childcare, including Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut, where fees are capped at $10 per day. Alberta and Ontario have set maximum daily fees at $15 and $22, respectively.
Despite being an early advocate for $10-a-day universal childcare, British Columbia has faced criticism for its perceived stagnation on the issue. Sharon Gregson, a spokesperson for the $10-a-day Child Care Campaign, expressed disappointment in the province’s lack of progress compared to other regions.
Education and Child Care Minister Lisa Beare acknowledged concerns about the structure of the $10-a-day program, citing inequities in its distribution. Consequently, the expansion of the program has been paused as the government collaborates with various stakeholders to develop a more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable childcare system for the future.