Child Care - Multi-Year Funding to Local and Indigenous Governments and Non-Profit Organizations

Whereas the Ministry of Education and Child Care is responsible for BCs 10day child care program, and ChildCareBCs growing system of universal child care has been life-changing for families, with demand far outstripping supply; And whereas the current grant-based process to expand universal child care relies on grant applicants to coordinate all aspects of design and implementation, and local and Indigenous governments and nonprofit organizations often lack the resources to successfully manage this process in accordance with UBCM-funded child care needs assessments and action plans: Therefore be it resolved that while the Province continues to rely on individual grant applicants to plan and develop child care expansion, that instead, the Province provide multi-year funding to local and Indigenous governments and non-profit organizations to support resources to coordinate this process; And be it further resolved that UBCM urge the Ministry of Education and Child Care to replace the current grant-based application process with a systematic expansion of universal child care that upholds UNDRIP obligations and supports the involvement of, but does not rely on, local and Indigenous governments and non-profit organizations to coordinate design and implementation.