To state the obvious, childcare is expensive. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, childcare costs in British Columbia are among the highest in Canada.
In 2016, Premier Christy Clark’s government invested $11.3 million to create 1818 more licensed childcare spaces throughout the province, and Clark has promised to create 13,000 more spaces by 2020.
NDP leader John Horgan is promising British Columbia families a $10 a day daycare program if his party wins the election.
This week, the B.C. Green Party released their plan to support families. If they win, they say they will implement free daycare for children under the age of three, free early childhood education for children aged 3 and 4, and $500 per month for families with children under the age of 3 who have one parent staying at home.
It has been said that here on Bowen, we have the highest rate of children per-capita of any community Canada. So kicking off The Undercurrent’s election coverage with a look at how Bowen Islanders are effected by this issue seemed obvious.
When Ann Silberman, now director of the Bowen Children’s Centre (BCC), first moved to the island back in the early 1990s, she says there was no day care available here.
“People just didn’t do daycare on Bowen,” she says. “But over the course of three or four years, you could see the need for it growing. More women were going back to work, and so more families needed an option for child care. That’s why we built the Children’s Centre.”
Now, of course, there are numerous childcare options for Bowen families including Montessori, Play Care, and several home-based daycares.
She says that needs of Bowen families are still different from families in the city, and one way that is reflected is by BCC’s enrollment.
“Most daycares have 25 licensed spaces. At BCC, maybe 10% of our families require full-time care for their children, which means we can accommodate the needs of up to 55 families depending on how many days of care they require,” says Silberman.
She says that having two working parents is simply a fact of life these days in British Columbia.
“Most families need two incomes, we live in a very expensive place, but childcare is still very unaffordable. I see families who switch-off workdays, which means the parents never get time to spend together, and this creates a lot of stress. Other families rely on grandparents, and this can be very stressful for the grandparents. I think our government really needs to up the ante. The statistics show how much children benefit from quality early childhood programs, but these programs need to be supported.”
Silberman says that as an advocate of the $10 per day childcare model, she has studied the way the system operates in Quebec.
“First of all, because this is part of the province’s social policy, the childcare structure does not change with each change in government,” she explains. “Also, they’ve proven that providing affordable childcare pays off: the amount of money that comes back to the government through the economic benefits of women being in the workforce more than covers the investment required to pay for $10 a day daycare. We would see the wages for childcare workers going up with this system. Right now, wages are entirely dependent on fees paid by the parents –the only way wages can go up is if parents pay more.”
Bowen parents have their say on childcare
Andréa Layzell
When I went back to work after my second son was born, I worked four days a week, my husband worked Sunday to Friday and we had a nanny three days a week. For one of those days, we had various kids coming in to nanny share because our older son was in daycare – we didn’t want him to lose our spot.
Also, we couldn’t really afford our nanny so I would rush home every day to save money. We wanted to give her more stability, but we really couldn’t afford to.
This also meant I went back to work after dinner on many nights, or worked weekends to make up for the fact that I had cut my days short.
This year we have much more stability as both boys are in daycare full-time with extended hours on two days, but getting here has been really challenging and it is still expensive.
I’ve been learning about the $10 a day program since before my oldest was born, and I really think the government needs to take a chance on this kind of system.
It would ensure that all kids had the opportunity to receive the gold standard of care that my kids get, and would also raise the wages of the people taking care of our kids.
Merewyn Hines
As a single mom, there is no option for me to split the cost of care or the amount of time my child is in care.
When I was looking to move to Bowen, my first choice of daycare for my daughter (2.5 years old) was BCC, but they had a massive waitlist for full-time care.
I found a great home daycare for my daughter, but a spot came up for her on Tuesdays and Thursdays at BCC, so I pounced on the opportunity.
This actually makes things more expensive for me – paying a monthly fee in one place would be cheaper then paying daily fees in two different places, but I would like her to get a full time spot at BCC eventually so this is what I’ve got to do.
I am also aware that the people who are doing this work are not making tons of money, so I’m not going to try and get some kind of discount.
The people looking after my daughter are doing the most important work for me that they could possibly do.
Last month, I paid almost as much in childcare as I paid in rent.
I also happened to be laid off from my job a few weeks ago.
I am fine, because I’ve got severance, but even if I needed to, I couldn’t take my daughter out of care to save money because then I would risk losing a spot that would be needed when I started work again.
Brandy Boyce
The cost of daycare has drastically reduced our incomes, and the biggest impact of this is that it has brought us to the decision to only have one child.
I begged my mom (Susan Nelson) to move here because we really needed her, and fortunately she did.
My daughter (Isla) now spends the afternoons with her on the days we need care, and goes to Play Care in the morning because that is the most affordable option.
There are two days a week that I am not working, I take in other kids on those days to make a bit of money.
My husband also works on one day so that I can work, so we see each other one day per week.
Basically, it is a constant juggle.
West Van-Sea to Sky candidates talk childcare policies
Dana Taylor, Green Party of British Columbia
The Green Party platform on childcare takes the long view and is part of a much larger social policy which includes education. I am very pleased with what the party has come up with in this regard and am keen to get people’s feedback on it.
Jordan Sturdy, B.C. Liberals
I appreciate the challenge that families with young children face, having been there myself. There is no one-size fits all solution. We want to be able to support families grow stronger together, and in the Sea to Sky region we are seeing grandparents moving to help raise their children’s children, for example. Hopefully this is happening not only out of need but because they want to do this, and we want to support families in this situation. We are committed to new child care spaces, but also, to options.
Michelle Livaja, B.C. NDP
Any parent with young children knows we have a child care crisis in BC. Families face impossible choices regarding returning to work or choosing care that isn’t the best for their kids. We commit to a $10-a-day plan to help working families have affordable, quality child care.
