Child Care: An Essential Service for Families
YWCA Metro Vancouver has long advocated for public investment to create affordable child care, knowing that it is one of the most tangible ways to advance gender equity. Accessible child care supports women and families, helps children thrive and strengthens the economy.
Over the last several years, the province has made progress to lower the cost of this essential service for families with the roll out of $10 a day funding to some centres, but there is still much work to be done.
YWCA Child Care and Early Learning Centres
To achieve an equitable world, parents – and especially single mothers – need affordable, flexible child care options. The YWCA operates four early learning and child care centres in Vancouver, with a fifth coming to YWCA Cindy Beedie Place, our new housing community in Burnaby opening in 2025. Thanks to provincial funding, three of our centres currently operate $10 a day spaces.
YWCA child care centres reach families with different needs. YWCA Emma’s Early Learning and Child Care supports young mothers finishing high school and YWCA Crabtree Corner Early Learning and Child Care provides short-term, flexible options for families in the Downtown Eastside, while others centres serve families across the city.
Advocating for change
Creating a sustainable child care system will require policies that support several areas of the sector.
We are asking the provincial government to consider the following policy requests:
- Expand operation funding for childcare facilities to include maintenance and repairs.
- Build a child care model outside of the 9 to 5 delivery hours for the many parents and caregivers who work outside of typical “office hours.”
- Legislate publicly funded wage grids for ECEs that are tied to a living wage.
"Families today, especially those with young children, face so many pressures and are struggling to find quality, reliable child care,” says Janice Lee, YWCA’s Director of Early Learning and Child Care. “We know that to support families, we must create a future where child care is sustainable and affordable. Long-term planning and funding has to consider the training and retention of high-quality Early Childcare Educators, maintaining a safe and enriching physical environment for new and existing centres, as well as flexibility of care to meet diverse needs, so that children and families can thrive."
For more information on how the YWCA is supporting universal child care, please contact Shauna Shortt at sshortt@ywcavan.org.
This article is part of the 2024 Spring/Summer edition of our Contact Newsletter.
