Whereas the provision and funding of childcare is the mandate of the Province of British Columbia, yet there is no funding provided from the Province of British Columbia for sustainable and sufficient funding related to costs for the ongoing maintenance, repair and replacement of childcare facilities, leaving municipalities to provide land and buildings for the expansion of new childcare spaces to fill the significant gaps in need; And whereas these facilities are typically provided at nominal lease rates in efforts to keep parent fees more affordable and to ensure long-term operational viability: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of British Columbia to adequately fund ongoing operational costs associated with the maintenance, repair and replacement of municipally owned childcare facilities.
Ministry of Education and Child Care The Ministry is aware of the ongoing need for funding to support proactive maintenance, repair and replacement of child care facilities. This is a complex issue in BC as child care facilities reflect a range of ownership and lease arrangements. Currently, the Ministry provides funding to licensed child care providers in emergency circumstances through the Maintenance Fund. This funding assists licensed providers with the costs of addressing necessary repairs or replacing eligible items or to help with relocation costs. The Ministry is also testing a new Operational Funding Model with select child care programs. One of the key learnings for this test will be better understanding of maintenance repair and replacement costs to determine next steps for supporting child care programs to meet these costs. The Ministry will take this resolution under advisement as BC continues to work towards the ChildCareBC Vision for child care to be a core service available to every family that wants it, when they need it, at a price they can afford. URL Maintenance Fund: https:www2.gov.bc.cagovcontentfamily-social-supportscaring-for-young-ch…