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Excerpt: "As well, to assist hard-working parents and guardians, to strengthen our economy, and to assist businesses with recruitment and retention, we’re moving forward with plans to provide a quality, accessible, and affordable child care plan for families. Our first step is moving forward with $20 million in new child care investments that will increase our spending on early childhood development and child care to $330 million this year and support more than 4,000 new child care spaces."

Excerpt: "The projects include 61 new builds and 42 renovations to create: 847 infant and toddler spaces; 535 spaces in Indigenous communities; 1,153 spaces on school grounds."

Excerpt: "Over three years, an investment of more than $1 billion dollars will set the Province on the path to a universal child care plan that will make child care affordable for parents and caregivers, creat more than 22,000 child care spaces across the province, and ensure those spaces meet rigorous quality and safety standards."

Excerpt: "The agreement allocates $153 million, over three years, to: create of 1370 new infant/toddler child care spaces through capital grants; provide operational funding to care providers to administer low-cost infant/toddler spaces and reduce parent fees for at least 1786 children; apply new streams of bursaries and grants to recruit and retain early childhood educators and support up to 4000 current and future educators in obtaining or upgrading their Early Childhood Educator certification; direct new funds into the existing systems to expand culturally-based Indigenous child care to create on- and off-reserve programming, 390 new spaces, and benefit approximately 590 families; and enhance inclusive programs for approximately 7278 children with special needs."

Excerpt: "With a $350,000 investment over three years, the B.C. government is helping UBC add a new part-time early childhood education (ECE) certificate program online for 72 students. The first group of 36 students will begin in September 2018 and the second will begin in January 2019."

Excerpt: "Early childhood educators (ECEs) who provide vital services to B.C. children will be better supported by a new recruitment and retention strategy as part of the Province’s ChildCare BC plan."

Excerpt: "Over 80,000 B.C. families are now eligible for some level of support through the benefit. Under the previous subsidy, only 20,000 families were eligible. The benefit amount for infant/toddler care has also been increased, with some families now eligible for up to $1,250 a month per child, up from $750 per child, marking a 67% increase."

Excerpt: "In the 2017/2018 fiscal year, the Ministry allocated $10 million to expand and enhance the Early Childhood Educator Bursary Program delivered through Early Childhood Educators of BC (ECEBC). ECEBC is the provincial association of ECEs, which promotes professionalism and improved educational preparation for its members, as well as on the development of professional support and resources to improve the quality of early childhood experiences for the children with whom they work. Since 2007, ECEBC has delivered an Early Childhood Educator Bursary Program, with financial support from the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development, to assist bursary recipients with the costs associated with pursuing their ECE credentials."

Excerpt: "The B.C. government is moving forward with 53 prototype projects around the province to deliver child care that will cost families a maximum of $200 per month per child.

The prototype sites are the next major step in government’s 10-year ChildCare BC plan and will model what high-quality, affordable, universal child care may look like for B.C. families. The prototypes are being funded through an investment of $60 million under the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Agreement with the Government of Canada. In all, parents of about 2,500 children will benefit from the prototype projects."

Excerpt: "Last year, government took its first steps to make quality child care more affordable and available to more B.C. families. A $1 billion dollar investment over three years – the most significant child care investment in B.C. history – will reduce child care costs, increase the number of spaces and deliver the highest quality care.

Tens of thousands of B.C. families are already enjoying the benefits. With child-care costs reduced by hundreds of dollars a month, young families can consider home ownership for the first time. More parents can participate fully in the workforce, confident their children are getting high-quality care from early childhood educators who know their work is valued.

This year, government will set the foundation for the full implementation of B.C.’s affordable child care program. A key element of this effort will be a collaborative process to develop new legislation to give universal access to quality, affordable childcare the force of law."

Excerpt: "The extra bursaries build on the success of the ECE bursary program that approved approximately 1,100 applications for just over $2 million in the fall of 2018. A new $1.9-million investment through the Province’s Early Learning and Child Care Agreement with the Government of Canada means more potential and current ECEs will benefit. This is in addition to the $10 million that was previously announced in September 2018 to expand the ECE Education Support Fund, which is administered by the Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia (ECEBC)."

Excerpt: "Indigenous families in over 30 communities throughout the province will benefit from more than 600 new, free licensed child care spaces and expanded Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) programs."