$153 million in federal cash to fund child care and education training in B.C.
VANCOUVER — Help is on the way for cash-strapped British Columbia parents struggling with expensive daycare fees and long waiting lists, say federal and provincial politicians after signing a bilateral child care agreement Friday.
The federal government’s investment of $153 million was announced in B.C.’s budget this week and is part of the province’s three-year plan to make child care more affordable as it works toward establishing a universal system.
“We all know that child care is expensive and hard to find, and for too long it’s been left to get worse,” said Katrine Conroy, B.C.’s children’s minister, speaking in a Vancouver family centre while toddlers squealed and played.
“That’s left too many parents feeling squeezed because they can’t afford to take time off and they can’t afford the child care.”