BC tabled the 2013 budget on February 19, 2013.
Within the balanced budget, government is introducing new measures to benefit B.C. families and help make family life more affordable, including:
...A new B.C. Early Childhood Tax Benefit will provide $146 million to approximately 180,000 families with children under six years old, effective April 1, 2015. Families with young children can receive up to $55 per child, per month. Most will receive the full amount, while those with family incomes between $100,000 and $150,000 a year will receive a partial benefit. About 90 per cent of B.C. families with young children are expected to be eligible.
B.C.'s new Early Years Strategy will invest $76 million over three years to support the creation of new child care spaces and improve the quality of child care and early years services. Included within this, $32 million will support the creation of new child care spaces and $37 million will improve the quality of services available.
Related links:
Time for B.C. to invest in $10 a day child care. Opinion: Families squeezed between unaffordable housing and exorbitant child care, Vancouver Sun, 18 Feb 13
Budget 2013 'not very good for young people': advocates, The Tyee, 18 Feb 13
Affordable child care promised in Tuesday budget, but $10-a-day system ruled out, Times Colonist, 16 Feb 13
Child-focused B.C. budget programs come cheap: Christy Clark's 'families first' focus gets big portion of little government has to spend, CBC News, 20 Feb 13
The families agenda for British Columbia: Building a sustainable quality early years strategy to support BC families, Government of BC, 20 Feb 12