Prime Minster Justin Trudeau chats with children in child care at Don Christian Recreation Centre in Surrey, B.C., on March 28.The federal government is launching a child care expansion program that will offer $1-billion in low-cost loans plus an additional $60-million in non-repayable grants for public and non-profit providers to create new spaces, which advocates say is urgently needed to meet high demand.
So far, fees have been cut by at least 50 per cent across the country. But while reducing fees has always been the centrepiece of the program, the goal of creating 250,000 new spaces under the plan is not progressing fast enough for the many frustrated parents who want affordable child care but can’t access it, advocates say.
Meanwhile, 49 per cent of parents using child care last year reported difficulty finding it, compared with 36 per cent in 2019.