All BC public child care services will be able to offer $10-a-day child care in ChildCareBC’s program set to launch by the end of 2022.
The act is anticipated to benefit thousands of BC families, including UBC students with children and families. The UBC GSS has been advocating for this move for years and when current GSS VP External Violeta Fabiani was running for office, this issue was central to her campaign.
“Usually [topics] that affect you directly, you tend to be more passionate about or you can relate a little bit more to so I feel that's why when I took office, even during my campaign, child care was one of my priorities,” Fabiani said.
Affordable child care is currently a massive social epidemic across the country. Last month, the BC provincial government announced that the plan supports the expansion of the amount of $10-a-day child care services in the province.
When talks began, there were 6,500 of such spaces in BC. The provincial government plans to bring $10 child care to 12,500 facilities by the end of the year. This addition will also come with the reduction of the average cost of child care from $1,000 a month for full-time, centre-based infant care at facilities participating in the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, to $200 a month.
The repercussions of this five-year plan were one of many topics that were discussed between the GSS and provincial MLAs during October’s lobby week in Victoria, according to Fabiani.
“[This plan] is trying to reduce this margin of people that are kind of pushed out of the system," said Fabiani. She also said some people don't apply to university, whether for undergraduate or graduate studies, because they have kids/family obligations or because of labour shortages.
"What's the point in even applying if I won't be able to pursue a degree because I cannot afford child care, right?”
According to Fabiani, the plan hopes to give a reason for international students, who can potentially contribute to the provincial economy after their degrees, a reason to stay.
Skyrocketing child care costs in the past have put a particular strain on international students with children who also have to juggle out-of-country education-related fees. As an international student, Fabiani has directly been impacted by these issues and hopes the plan will benefit others in the same position as her.
“Here, it's an issue about accessibility and availability as well,” she said. “Some wait lists are three years long … how can you put yourself on a waitlist if you're not even pregnant?”
While child care service applications apply to facilities that fit the criteria with a special priority on those catering to families with children five years-old and under. However, all implications of the plan are not set to be fully in place until 2026.
“It will benefit lots of people, but there's still a long way to go.”