Excerpts
Child care was front and centre Monday for the BC NDP, its leader David Eby promoting the party's campaign promises.
“The school day is just a portion of the day, and your kids still need care outside of those hours,” said Eby on Monday.
The NDP plan calls for $500 million over two years to build more child-care facilities, an educational assistant for all classes Kindergarten through Grade 3, a mental health counselor at all schools, and expanding onsite before and after school child care.
“The capital budget is great news,” said Sharon Gregson with the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. “We need more spaces, we need them to be long-term public assets.”
Still, Gregson says the plan doesn’t go far enough.
“Still not enough to meet the demand, and of course the growing demand as more folks move to our province,” said Gregson on Monday.
She wants to see a pay grid implemented—like other provinces have done—to increase wages and attract more badly needed early childhood educators.
...
Expect to hear more about each party's plan to make child care more accessible and affordable over the next 12 days.