B.C. government expands child-care funding for young parents
Up to $1,500 a month available to parents who had child before they turned 20
The provincial government is putting more money into child-care subsidies.
Minister of Children and Family Development Katrine Conroy and Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen announced an extra $3 million over the next three years to a program that gives funding to young parents.
"It's harder to get ahead and build a strong foundation for your family if you don't finish Grade 12," Conroy said in a statement.
"That's why we are expanding supports under the Young Parent Program, which helps cover the costs of child care, so young parents can finish school in their home communities."
The program is for parents under the age of 24 who had a child before they turned 20. The new funding means parents can receive up to $1,500 if they qualify for the program, covering monthly costs for the vast majority of child-care spaces.
The announcement is one of many the province has made in recent months, as they put more hundreds of millions more of annual funding into child care subsidies.
The government has repeatedly said this is an interim step toward their campaign promise of $10 a day child care.
Corrections
- An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the child-care subsidy would be available to parents who had a child before they turned 21. In fact, the subsidy is available to parents who had a child before they turned 20.May 18, 2018 4:26 PM PT