Article content
Most B.C. child care providers are now banned from charging parents with fees to get on a wait-list.
Parents and advocates have long raised concerns about wait-list fees charged by some daycares which could range from $25 to more than $200 simply to put a child’s name on the list.
Article content
For many parents trying to secure child care, this could add up to hundreds of dollars with no guarantees they would get a spot.
Article content
Vancouver mom Amy Lee said she had grudgingly forked over about $650 “out of desperation” to put her son on wait-lists.
Many daycares didn’t charge for a wait-list, she said, but there were a few that did.
“It didn’t feel like you had much choice when you’re looking for a spot and you want to maximize your chances, and every facility had a waiting list,” she said.
Lee said she understands some centres might need to charge for wait-lists as an administrative fee, but hoped there was more transparency so parents can know where they stand. “Don’t charge me if you know there’s no realistic chance I’m going to get in,” she said.
The wait-list fee ban only applies to approximately 95 per cent of daycares in B.C. that receive provincial support. The move was announced by the province last December as part of its 2024-2025 funding requirements for daycares participating in its fee reduction program. It does not apply to facilities that are entirely private.
The province says about five per cent of providers, mostly in major cities, were charging families a wait-list fee, usually non-refundable.
Share this article in your social network
