Starting January 2026, child care providers may renew their Child Care Operating Funding and opt into the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement programs for 2026-27. For further details refer to the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative funding guidelines, the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement funding guidelines and additional upcoming communications.
This year, there are no major changes to base operating funding or the wage enhancement program. As in previous years, providers joining the fee reduction program must start with fees that reflect typical rates in their region. Providers already in the fee reduction program may increase fees by up to 3% of the regional median fee.
However, there are several important policy shifts for the fee reduction program including:
- As of April 1, 2026, providers in the fee reduction program may only charge optional fees for extended hours after offering a minimum of 9.5 hours of care during regular operating hours.
- A streamlined pathway for school board-operated child care programs to set fees that help recover reasonable costs to operate child care on school grounds. This aligns with recent changes to enable school districts in B.C. to support families with more child care on school grounds.
To avoid gaps in funding, applicants to the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program should renew their Child Care Operating Funding agreements while waiting for a decision on their $10 a Day program application.
To learn more, please refer to the fee reduction funding guidelines or wage enhancement funding guidelines. Important timelines and additional information are available on the operating funding web page. If you have questions or need support, call 1-888-338-6622 (press 2), Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.