BC Pauses $10/Day Childcare — ACE Says the Warning Signs Were There
A Canadian Coalition of Childcare Operators
Families in BC who were counting on this program have been let down. Operators who tried to speak up and were ignored now have to watch this play out exactly the way they warned it would.”
CALGARY, AB, CANADA, February 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Association of Canadian Early Learning Programs (ACE) is urging federal and provincial governments to reassess the financial foundations of their childcare agreements following British Columbia's decision to pause its $10/day childcare program.— Krystal Churcher, Board Chair of ACE
""This is a difficult moment for BC families and operators who were depending on this program," said Krystal Churcher, Board Chair of ACE. "It also points to a broader challenge that ACE and providers across Canada have been raising for several years — that affordable childcare programs require funding levels that reflect the actual cost of delivering care."
ACE's True Cost of Childcare report identified a significant and ongoing gap between what operators receive under the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Childcare (CWELCC) Agreement and what it costs to run a quality licensed program. The report found that, in many cases, operators are absorbing costs the program does not adequately cover.
ACE is calling on governments to treat the BC pause as an opportunity to revisit sustainability assumptions in current and upcoming agreements, and to include frontline provider voices in the redesign process.
"It is a signal," said Churcher. "When programs are built around political timelines rather than financial reality, this is the outcome. We hope federal and provincial governments will ask themselves whether they are genuinely listening to operators and families — or simply checking a box."
To read the full True Cost of Childcare report, visit this link.
About ACE:
The Association of Canadian Early Learning Programs (ACE) is a united coalition of licensed childcare providers representing home-based programs, non-profits, and private centres across Canada. ACE advocates for childcare policies that are sustainable for providers, accessible to all families, and respectful of the professionals delivering care every day. For more information, visit www.acenational.ca.
Krystal Churcher, Chair
The Association of Canadian Early Learning Programs (ACE)
+1 780-838-3103
kchurcher@acenational.ca
Visit us on social media:
Facebook
X
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
