A Port Coquitlam daycare is one of 27 centres named by the provincial government today, March 28, to move into the $10-a-day ChildCareBC program.
Hami’s Playhouse Infant and Toddler Inc. has eight spaces that will be part of the cost-saving initiative for families in March and April, slashing monthly costs from $920 to about $200 per child.
“The families of over 15,000 children throughout B.C. have more money in their pockets as their child care bills are cut by more than $10,000 on average per child, per year,” said Mitzi Dean, B.C.’s Minister of State for Child Care, in a news release.
“In addition to the $10-a-day program, we have increased the fee reductions, are eliminating wait list fees and continue to offer additional support for families who need it most, all of which are important ways we are making life more affordable.”
In July 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then premier John Horgan were in Coquitlam to unveil the $30-billion childcare allocation in the federal budget and the province’s $3.2-billion investment over three years.
At the time, federal finance minister Chrystia Freeland said all Canadian parents should have access to $10-a-day childcare within five years.
For the intake announced today, the provincial government said it prioritized the new $10-a-day centres in municipalities that don’t yet have any, or have a low number.
Meanwhile, starting Monday, April 1, B.C. families can’t be charged a fee to put their name on a wait list at licensed childcare centres
