The YMCA of Northern BC celebrates that British Columbia is the first province to finalize their agreement with the Federal Government towards a Canada-wide, community-based system of quality early learning and child care. Today’s announcement is another pivotal and historic step forward in creating a pan-Canadian child care system that is high-quality, accessible, affordable and inclusive for families.
This federal investment in child care, coupled with the Government of BC’s ongoing commitments, demonstrates an understanding that there is no economic and social recovery without child care.
As the economy continues to recover through the pandemic and beyond, families need access to safe, affordable, and high-quality learning and care environments. This is particularly important for women who have been disproportionately impacted through this pandemic.
The YMCA, as the largest non-profit child care provider in British Columbia, is uniquely positioned as an important partner in building a high-quality universal child care system, for early years and for school age programs.
The YMCA of Northern BC has been expanding child care for years, and the continued growth of YMCA early learning and child care programs would be accelerated with: increased capital funding to build long-term, community-based spaces; a more robust workforce to ensure there are enough well-trained Early Childhood Education professionals to support this growth; strong partnerships with the public sector to build and operate seamless child care on school and municipal land; and, additional supports for school age child care so families can continue to access affordable child care once their children begin school.
“Non-profit child care providers have laid the foundation of the current child care system, long before this significant provincial and federal investments we are seeing now” says Amanda Alexander, CEO of the YMCA of Northern BC. “As child care migrates to the education sector, non-profit providers will be vital in a smooth transition to a seamless, universal model of care.”
The YMCA of Northern BC has strong partnerships with many municipalities and schools, supporting the design, building, and operating high quality early learning and child care. The YMCA prioritizes healthy child development and family engagement through its own play-based curriculum, national standards, and child protection policies.
Alexander adds, “We are well-positioned to do even more for children and families. We look forward to continuing to work to ensure all children have access to high quality early learning and child care.”
