Ella Dalling has been on waitlists for daycare for her nine-month-old daughter Murph since early in her pregnancy. Despite applying to about 20 daycares in Vancouver, Dalling has not received any responses. She emphasized that parents are left with no option but to wait or reach out to daycares directly. In British Columbia, where there are no fee limits for daycares, monthly prices can vary significantly, ranging from $200 to $2,000.
Dalling recently introduced an online platform named Little Scout, where daycares can list available spots, and parents can easily locate nearby options. Through her platform, she has interacted with parents and child-care providers throughout B.C. who agree that the current system requires enhancements. Some families are even reconsidering having more children due to the challenges with daycare availability.
According to a recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, British Columbia is trailing behind other provinces in offering affordable and accessible child care. The province’s child-care landscape consists of a mix of private and non-profit operators, some of which receive substantial government subsidies while others charge full fees.
David Macdonald, a co-author of the report, highlighted the complexity of determining child-care costs in British Columbia, a concern shared by parents. In comparison to provinces with fee restrictions, British Columbia parents are saving approximately $300 to $500 monthly following a funding agreement with the federal government in 2021.
B.C. cities were found to have the highest child-care fees among the 35 Canadian cities examined in the report, with prices for infants ranging from a median of $28 per day in Kelowna to $52 per day in Richmond. The report also noted that six provinces and territories have imposed fee caps, with parents in these regions paying a maximum of $10 per day for child care.
While British Columbia was once praised for its progress towards $10-a-day universal child care, advocates now claim that the government’s efforts have stalled. Sharon Gregson from the $10-a-day Child Care Campaign expressed disappointment, stating that the province is lagging behind others in implementing affordable child-care solutions.
Education and Child Care Minister Lisa Beare, who was unavailable for an interview, raised concerns about the lottery-based approach of the $10-a-day program, leading to structural inequities. Consequently, the B.C. government has halted the expansion of the program to address these issues and work towards establishing a more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable child-care system for the future.