A standard amount of working hours for B.C. child care providers is being created to prevent families from being unreasonably billed.
On Dec. 15, the B.C. government announced that child care providers will have to provide at least 9.5 hours of care per day before charging for extended hours.
These new rules were created to make sure families were “not charged extra fees for hours that should reasonably be expected to be included in their base fee.”
“Families deserve predictablility and fairness,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care. “By setting a clear threshold, we’re closing a loophole to make sure hard-working parents aren’t paying more for a reasonable day of care. These changes protect the pocketbooks of B.C. families and establish consistency for providers, while maintaing their flexibility to design programs that meet community needs.”
The new guidelines will come into effect starting April 1, 2026, affecting child care providers participating the in Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, of which 97 per cent of eligible licesnsed child care centres in B.C. are part of.
The Province states only five per cent of child care providers will be affected by these changes and will have to adjust their business model. It also says the guidelines “levels the playing field” for providers who are already delivering a standard full day of care before charging additional fees.
In the Okanagan, local groups are commending the changes.
“We recognize and value the Ministry of Education adn Child Care’s continued consultation and collaboration with the sector as the Province works to balance the needs of child care providers, while ensuring families across British Columbia have access to affordable child care,” said Jeremy Welder, president and CEO of BGC Okanagan.
Daljit Gill-Badesha of the Provincial Child Care Council shared the same sentiment. “I’m happy to see the Province making this change. Setting a clear standard for what counts as a full day of care protects parents from paying extra for reasonable hours and creates fairness across the sector.”