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More $10 child care spaces for North Okanagan

Child care centres in Lumby and Lavington are reducing fees to $10 a day
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This May 4, 2021 image shows teacher Graciela Olague-Barrios working with two infants at Cuidando Los Ninos in Albuquerque, N.M. According to a recent report by the U.S. Chamber Foundation, childcare is in short supply across the country. Local experts say Juneau lacks affordable, reliable child care. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Families in Lumby and Lavington are going to be saving money on child care.

The Jimmy Crickets Childcare centre in Lumby is becoming a $10 a day ChildCareBC site, meaning 34 child care spaces will have fees significantly reduced for parents.

Meanwhile, the Maven Lane centre in Lavington is also switching to $10 a day, reducing fees for its 28 spaces.

“Having safe, accessible and affordable childcare is so important for parents and caregivers, especially when they find care close to home,” said Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu. “Quality and affordable childcare means parents and caregivers can focus on work or studies without worries. I am so thrilled families will be able to access these affordable spaces in their communities. I have heard first-hand from so many families in our riding the benefits of these important investments and it’s so reassuring.”

Spaces in the $10 a day ChildCareBC program reduce the average cost of child care from $1,000 a month for full-time, centre-based infant care to $200 a month, saving families about $800 a month per child on average.

The newly approved $10-a-day spaces are being offered at 61 child care centres thoughout the province, bringing the toal number of $10-a-day spaces in B.C. up to nearly 11,000.

In addition to the new spaces, the province, with funding from the federal government, is helping approximately 69,000 families with the cost of child care at centres that are not part of the $10-a-day program through fee reductions of up to $550 per month per child. These savings, which kicked in on Thursday, Dec. 1. are on top of the $350 per month per child that families have been saving through the Child Care Fee Reduction initiative since 2018.

READ MORE: Nunavut reaches $10-a-day average for child care, years ahead of Canada-wide goal

READ MORE: Saanich daycare kerfuffle reveals dire state of childcare in Greater Victoria


Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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