BC to collect feedback on future of childcare via survey

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — British Columbia is asking residents to share their feedback on the future of childcare in the province.

According to a May 29th release from the Ministry of Education and Childcare, a new province-wide survey is now available for residents. 

The survey is currently only available in English, but will be made available in French, Punjabi and both simplified and traditional Chinese in the coming days. 

Families, educators and operators of child care centres are asked to use the survey to provide feedback from May 28th to July 9th. 

The province said it has delivered substantially lower fees, more spaces and a larger workforce in the child care sector since launching ChildCareBC in 2018. 

“With the newest social program in B.C. in a generation, the province is continuing to build on this progress and is seeking input to guide the future of child care in B.C,” the release stated.

In June 2022, School District 60 said it would open an expanded childcare service at Robert Ogilvie Elementary in September 2022. 

It was also announced in April 2025 more childcare spaces would be coming to Robert Ogilvie Elementary School by the end of 2025. 

J and J’s Hoot and Howl Preschool is set to close on June 30th due to low enrollment. 

The announcement came in a Facebook post from the preschool on May 20th, just days after the province provided an additional $5 million in funding to “support renovations and the repurposing of existing space in school buildings to create new child care spaces.”

The province’s 2026 budget provided ChildCareBC with $330 million to stabilize the programs and services families rely on.

“The province has been engaging extensively with child care partners following the announcement of new funding for child care in Budget 2026,” the release said. 

“On May 20, 2026, early childhood educators and providers were invited to take part in a virtual town hall with the Ministry of Education and Child Care.”

Over three hundred people attended the virtual town hall, the release said.

According to the province, it has opened nearly 59,000 new child care spaces since the launch of ChildCareBC. 

The province also said approximately 12,000 funded spaces are currently being developed across B.C.

The average family is saving $7,200 per child annually due to reduced fees at over 97 per cent of licensed child spaces, the release said.