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May 28, 2024 - 9:00 AM
BC residents overwhelmingly support $10 a day daycare although less than 10% of all licensed daycare spaces are $10 a day.
According to a recent Research Co. poll, 80% of BC residents strongly support $10 a day childcare with almost as many people saying the implementation should be moving more quickly.
While only 9% of daycare spaces are $10 a day in BC, the provincial government does offer other financial help to parents with children in daycare.
The poll found 20% of BC residents had been personally touched by $10 a day child care, with that number increasing to more than a third of 18 to 35-year-olds.
Long waiting lists for childcare were considered a major problem with 84% of BC families, with 43% of families with young children, saying they had to wait more than six months to get a childcare space.
The poll says there are only enough licensed childcare spaces for 23% of children aged between 0 and 12 years old in BC.
Overwhelming, 84% of those surveyed said it was important for early childhood educators to earn fair wages and 81% said that all elementary schools should provide before and after-school care for the children in that school.
The poll found that 71% of those asked said the province would only be able to create and staff more childcare spaces if wages for early childhood educators were fair.
The issue of childcare is an important one especially for those 18 to 35 years old with 90% in that age range saying it was important for the government to keep building the $10 a day program.
Almost 60% of this age group say the issue will be vote-determining in the next provincial election.
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