The Ministry of Education and Child Care has posted the 2025/26 recalculated operating grant and Classroom Enhancement Fund allocations, which are based on actual September 29, 2025 enrolment. Please contact Tim Jah, Director, Funding and Financial Accountability Branch, with any questions. Districts must prepare, adopt by bylaw, and submit an Amended Annual Budget by February 27, 2026. Templates and instructions can be found on the School District Budget Reporting web page.
Friday December 19, 2025
Acting Deputy Minister of Education and Child Care
Happy Friday, everyone.
You did it! Almost ½ way through the school year and the eve of a much-deserved winter break. This is the final Deputy Minister’s Bulletin for 2025. Look for the next edition in your mailbox January 9, 2026.
On behalf of all of us at the ministry, I hope you have a wonderful holiday break. You’ve more than earned it!
For Action
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For Information
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Child Care Operating Funding 2026 – 2027 Renewal
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.
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Framework for Enhancing Student Learning: Annual Review Update
The ministry would like to thank district teams for all their work on the 2025 Enhancing Student Learning Reports/Interim Progress Reports, especially in the first year of the new three-year submission cycle.
As required by the Framework for Enhancing Student Learning Policy, all 2025 Enhancing Student Learning Reports and Interim Progress Reports will be reviewed.
The review of the 40 Interim Progress Reports is currently underway, and the review of the 20 Enhancing Student Learning Reports will begin in January. Feedback for both Enhancing Student Learning Reports and Interim Progress Reports is anticipated to be shared with districts in February.
If you have any questions, please email EDUC.Framework@gov.bc.ca.
