While B.C. was the first province to sign a $10-day-child-care agreement with the federal government, the province will only reduce costs to about double that for next couple years.

Full-day infant and toddler care fees will drop to an average of about $20 per day by the end of this year, with the cost for before- and after-school and preschool falling to that rate by the 2023/2024 school year. The province said 50,000 children will benefit from the reduced fees, which represent a 50 per cent cut in average costs.

B.C.含羞草研究社檚 2022 budget, released Tuesday, pumps $118 million into those targeted fee reductions.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the child-care agreement with B.C. last summer. It aims to hit the $10-a-day mark in regulated spaces 含羞草研究社� for children under six years old 含羞草研究社� before 2027.

According to the budget, the agreement is also expected to help deliver 30,000 new child-care spaces for children under the age of six within the next five years, rising to 40,000 new spots over the next seven years.

The 2022 budget includes $11 million for upping the number school districts offering child care services, with before- and after-school spaces expanding from 24 to 44 districts. Preschool programs will be expanded to 14 more school districts as well.

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含羞草研究社淭his is going to make a real difference for families,含羞草研究社� Finance Minister Selina Robinson said while presenting the budget. 含羞草研究社淧roviding child care services is not just a pillar of building a stronger society, but it also helps build a stronger, more resilient economy and allows families, especially women, to participate in the labour force.含羞草研究社�

But asked why child care will still be about twice as much as the federal agreement含羞草研究社檚 pursues for the foreseeable future, Robinson said building a brand new social program takes time.

The province is also investing $8 million from this year含羞草研究社檚 budget to add 130 early childhood educator training seats annually for the next three years. Another $11 million is going into the Aboriginal Head Start program.

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