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News & Stories: Policy Monitor

January 30, 2023

Excerpt: "More than 725 child care spaces are joining the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program in February, bringing the number of spaces to 12,700 and helping families across the province save thousands of dollars per year. These spaces help reduce costs for families in British Columbia and further develop high-quality, affordable and accessible child care as a core service in the province."
February 3, 2023

Excerpt: "The Province is committed to creating a future where inclusive child care is a core service that families can rely on by embedding inclusion and equitable access into all aspects of child care in B.C., and by partnering with the federal government to expand supports for children with support needs. This additional investment of $31.8 million in 2022-23 was provided through the 2021-2026 Canada-B.C. Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and the bilateral 2021-2025 Canada-B.C. Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. This funding will increase the number of children getting the support they need to fully participate in child care settings, while helping to build inclusive child care capacity by training child care providers."
February 6, 2023

Excerpts: "In December 2022, child care costs were reduced again, this time by as much as $550 more a month for each child, or over $6,000 a year in additional savings. This has been life changing for many parents. ... And this fall, the significant child care savings your government delivered for children who are kindergarten age and younger will be extended to parents with school age kids."
February 28, 2023

Excerpt: "Approximately 75% of families with children are eligible for the BC Family Benefit. Starting in July 2023, these families will see a 10% increase in their monthly payments. Single parents will receive as much as an additional $500 per year on top of the 10% increase, also to be delivered in July."
May 10, 2023

Excerpt: "Terry Beech, Member of Parliament for Burnaby North—Seymour and Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and the Honourable Rachna Singh, B.C. Minister of Education and Child Care, announced a joint investment of more than $1.4 million to support ventilation improvements in two elementary schools in Burnaby. Through this funding, Edmonds Community Elementary and Gilpin Elementary will install new energy recovery ventilation units with heat pumps. These new units will increase air flow, which will reduce the schools’ energy consumption and create a healthier and more comfortable environment for students and school personnel."
May 12, 2023

Excerpt: "In partnership with public post-secondary institutions, the Province is accelerating the expansion of early childhood education programs so more than 1,300 people will have the opportunity to access this education over the next three years, with public post-secondary spaces in B.C. expected to increase by approximately 50%."
May 15, 2023

Excerpt: "Seamless Day Kindergarten integrates before- and after-school care into the kindergarten classroom, delivered by certified early childhood educators (ECEs) who work alongside the classroom teacher. The program makes the best use of available school space, existing classrooms, outdoors, school gyms and libraries outside of school hours."
September 20, 2023

Five schools offering Full-Day Kindergarten Pilot

Excerpt: "The Department of Education has launched full-day kindergarten in five Nunavut schools. The schools participating are: Nanook School, Apex; Qaqqalik School, Kimmirut; Victor Sammurtok School, Chesterfield Inlet; Inuglak School, Whale Cove; Jimmy Hikok Ilihakvik, Kugluktuk. The 2023-2024 Full-Day Kindergarten Pilot is the first step to help guide a phased system-wide rollout."
September 19, 2023

Excerpt: "The Early Childhood Educator Recruitment and Retention Grant will provide funding to recruit and retain Level I to IV early childhood educators to become certified and work in regulated child care services. This grant replaces the former Early Childhood Educator Graduate Bursary Program, which will end on June 30, 2024. Effective September 1, 2023, early childhood educators who meet the eligibility criteria under the grant program will be eligible to receive $2,500 upon initial child care services certification. Further grants of $2,500 up to a total of $7,500 will be awarded following each three-year renewal of Level I to IV child care services certification. The grant includes a commitment for recipients to work in regulated child care services in Newfoundland and Labrador."
April 21, 2015

Excerpt: "A typical two-earner family of four will receive tax relief and increased benefits of up to $6,600 in 2015, as a result of the Family Tax Cut, the Universal Child Care Benefit, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate reduction, the introduction of new credits, such as the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit, and broad-based income tax relief including the reduction in the lowest personal income tax rate (Chart 1.3)."
November 30, 2015

Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Mandate Letter

Excerpt: "We made a commitment to invest in growing our economy, strengthening the middle class, and helping those working hard to join it. We committed to provide more direct help to those who need it by giving less to those who do not. We committed to public investment as the best way to spur economic growth, job creation, and broad­ based prosperity. We committed to a responsible, transparent fiscal plan for challenging economic times."