Province to invest $170 million for child care benefit program

VANCOUVER (NEWS 113) – The provincial government will be putting $170 million over the next three years toward a new childcare benefit program.

The new Affordable Child Care Benefit, which replaces the Child Care Subsidy, gives families up to $1,250 per month per child. More than 60, 000 families will be able to use the benefit, according to the government, and the eligibility requirements will include families with annual incomes of up to $111, 000. Premier John Horgan announced the funding on Thursday, just one day after the province rolled out its workforce recruitment and retention strategy.

Horgan said many families are having difficulty juggling their calendars to find the childcare they need.

“Is grandma going to take the kids on Tuesday? Uncle Bill has surgery on Wednesday, so I have to I have to find alternative arrangements,” he said. “For too many families in British Columbia, that’s a normal occurrence. We want to change that.”

Childcare minister Katrina Chen said the subsidy will help families struggling financially. She said the benefits of the funding will be far-reaching and affect other aspects of the provincial economy.

“Our economy is connected with family struggles for childcare and early learning services,” she said. “We want parents to have options, to have choices, to be able to live, work and learn in our beautiful communities in B.C.”

The benefit replaces the previous childcare subsidy starting September 1.

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