The BC Teachers’ Federation is in full support of the government’s move to introduce before- and after-school care in three public school districts. British Columbia desperately needs more affordable childcare, and we are supportive of any steps that will increase accessibility for families.

Many of our members are parents too, and they struggle alongside other families in BC to find adequate care for their kids.

Every school environment is different. We’re confident that an appropriate model can be found to suit each school and district that participates. We’ve already seen successes where, for example, teachers are sharing their classrooms after hours on a voluntary basis or after-school programs are operating in gyms and school libraries. In other cases, they are rotating classrooms throughout the week.

We’re also pleased to see the plan will employ our valued colleagues at CUPE. We hope to see all future projects developed in partnership with public sector workers and their unions.

The Federation would love to see government go further by introducing:

• a wage grid for early childhood educators.
• a mandate and funding provided to school districts to deliver childcare.
• new schools built with space for childcare to match the needs of the community.