Child Care

In the fall 2004 federal Throne Speech, the federal government committed to work with provincial and territorial governments to enhance early learning and child care across Canada. British Columbia's children and families will benefit from a new Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (ELCC Agreement) with the federal government in 2005/06 and subsequent years.

Provinces and territories expect to see a $5 billion federal government funding commitment over five years to assist with this work, with British Columbia receiving approximately 13 per cent of those funds, or $650 million over five years.

In anticipation of these funds, provinces, territories and the federal government have agreed on four principles to guide the $5 billion investment in a national vision of early learning and child care:

Quality: High-quality early learning and child care services are grounded in leading practices, with an appropriate complement of qualified staff.

Universally inclusive: Universally inclusive means early learning and child care services are open to all preschool children, including children with special needs, aboriginal children, and children with different cultural and linguistic circumstances.

Accessible: Early learning and child care services are broadly available and affordable.

Developmental: Developmental early learning and child care services promote healthy development and contribute to improved lifetime outcomes in the areas of social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.

In order to better meet the needs of children and families in British Columbia, government has adopted three additional principles:

Choice/Flexibility: Parents choose a service that works best for them and their child's specific needs, including care outside of traditional hours.

Targeted Investment: A cost-effective system that focuses investment on those most in need.

Integrated Services: Child care is available in schools, is community focused, and is integrated with other community services such as early childhood development programs.

These principles are consistent with British Columbia's vision for a sustainable child care system in which families can choose from a range of affordable, safe, quality child care options that meet diverse needs.

The new ELCC funding will be targeted to groups that will benefit most from improved access to quality child care programs and services, including lower income families, aboriginal people, and children with special needs.

Government is currently examining child care options that build on the federal and provincial principles, including:

• Improving the quality and diversity of child care through professional development and training opportunities for service providers;
• Targeting funding to the families that need it most by expanding the Child Care Subsidy program;
• Supporting stable, sustainable child care spaces with capital funding for infrastructure; and
• Working with partners such as schools to ensure parents can choose services that meet their needs in their own community.

A funding profile for the new ELCC Agreement – total dollars available and annualized amounts for each province and territory – is expected to be set out in the upcoming federal 2005/06 budget. Due to the preliminary and tentative nature of this funding arrangement, British Columbia's estimated share of this new federal funding is not included in Budget 2005. Once the federal government confirms the new ELCC funding and details of the new ELCC agreement are known, a Supplementary Estimate will be presented to the Legislature to provide the budget for these programs.