The YMCA of Okanagan celebrates that British Columbia is the first province to finalize their agreement with the Federal Government towards a Canada-wide, community-based system of quality early learning and child care. This recent announcement is another pivotal and historic step forward in creating a pan-Canadian child care system that is high-quality, accessible, affordable and inclusive for families.
This historic federal investment in child care, coupled with the Government of BC's ongoing commitments, demonstrates an understanding that there is no economic and social recovery without child care.
As the economy continues to recover through the pandemic and beyond, families need access to safe, affordable and high-quality learning and care environments. This is particularly important for women who have been disproportionately impacted through this pandemic.
The YMCA, as the largest non-profit child care provider in British Columbia, is uniquely positioned as an important partner in building a high-quality universal child care system, for early years and for school-age programs.
They have been expanding child care in BC for years, and the continued growth of YMCA early learning and child care programs would be accelerated with: increased capital funding to build long-term, community-based spaces; a more robust workforce to ensure there are enough well-trained Early Childhood Education professionals to support this growth; strong partnerships with the public sector to build and operate seamless child care on school and municipal land; and, additional supports for school age child care so families can continue to access affordable child care once their children begin school.
"Non-profit child care providers have laid the foundation of the current child care system, long before this significant provincial and federal investments we are seeing now" says Allyson Graf, Vice President of Community and Strategic Initiatives at the YMCA of Okanagan. "As child care migrates to the education sector, non-profit providers will be vital in a smooth transition to a seamless, universal model of care."
The YMCA has strong partnerships with many municipalities and schools, supporting the design, building and operating high quality early learning and child care. They prioritize healthy child development and parent engagement through their play-based curriculum, national standards and child protection policies.
"We are well-positioned to do even more for children and families" states Graf. "We look forward to continuing working with all levels of government with this new infusion of funding to ensure all children have access to high quality early learning and child care."