Lumby, Lavington sites join $10-a-day daycare program

Photo: BC Gov't

More $10-a-day child-care spaces are coming to the North Okanagan.

Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu says families will save money on child care as local operations become $10 ChildCareBC sites where fees are capped at a maximum of $200 a month per child.

"Having safe, accessible and affordable childcare is so important for parents and caregivers, especially when they find care close to home," says Sandhu.

The Jimmy Crickets Childcare centre in Lumby is becoming a $10-a-day site, which means 34 child-care spaces will have fees dramatically reduced for parents.

Maven Lane centre in Lavington is also becoming a $10 site, and 28 spaces will have reduced fees.

"Quality and affordable childcare means parents and caregivers can focus on work or studies without worries... I have heard first-hand from so many families in our riding the benefits of these important investments and it's so reassuring," adds Sandhu.

The program saves families $800 a month per child on average, with the typical cost of child care being about $1,000 a month.

The newly approved $10-a-day spaces are being offered at 61 child care centres across B.C., bringing the total in B.C. to nearly 11,000.

In addition, the province, with federal funding support, is helping approximately 69,000 families with the cost of child care at centres that are not part of the $10-a-day program through fee reductions of up to $550 per month per child.

The savings, which kicked in on Dec. 1, 2022, are in addition to $350 per month per child that families have been saving through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative since 2018.

"At a time when global inflation is driving up the cost of many essentials, these savings will be life-changing for families," says Sandhu.