B.C. spending $20M on one-time grants for child-care centres
CTV
B.C. has earmarked $20 million for one-time grants to support child-care operators through the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds are intended to be used for costs caused by the pandemic, such as extra cleaning supplies, masks, extra custodial services, or additional staff costs due to workers being absent because of illness.
The one-time grants will total $160 per child up to the facility's maximum capacity, for an average of $4,000 for a centre that hosts 25 children.
The grants should arrive by mid-February for child-care centres that receive the Child Care Operating Funding or participate in the $10-a-day ChildCareBC program, according to the province.
"Making sure that child care centres continue to be safe spaces for children and professionals is a top priority," said B.C. Child Care Minister Katrina Chen in a release Monday.
In mid-January, some daycare operators in Greater Victoria told CTV News they felt the child-care sector was being overlooked by health guidelines.
About a week after, the province announced that 250,000 rapid COVID-19 tests were being earmarked for child care professionals and that more guidance was coming.
"We are committed to responding to the needs of child care providers during this ever-changing situation," said Chen on Monday.
