Why you probably can’t find $10-a-day day care in Kamloops, Okanagan

As B.C. tries to expand its affordable day care program, parents are still trying to find it.

Kamloops father Justin Bourque went looking for it in that city, but found limited availability and lengthy waitlists.

“We would love to have affordable childcare, but there are only one or two $10 a day centres available here,” he said. “When we looked into finding a spot for our daughter at one of these centres we were told the waitlist is three years long.”

The province began taking applications from child care providers last month to expand the current $10 a day childcare program for centres offering childcare to kids age five and under. There are no income caps to qualify.

The goal is to increase the number of $10 dollar a day child care spaces from more than 6,500 to 12,500 by December 2022.

Currently there are 25 child care centres enrolled in the program in the Interior Health region. Two large non-profit centres offer the program in Kamloops, there is a non-profit and an Indigenous-led provider in Vernon, four large non-profit centres in Kelowna and three large non-profit and one Indigenous-led centre in Penticton, according to the province.

READ MORE: Kamloops cyclist was 'embraced by every community he was a part of'

Bourke’s daughter is enrolled at a smaller, for-profit centre.

“The bad thing is that it costs a lot of money, even on subsidy,” he said. “Our daycare charges $1,200 a month and discounts everyone $400 dollars due to a government grant, but every year she gets older we receive less grant subsidy. When she turns three we will be paying half our rent in costs.”

While the province tries to expand, some small, for-profit centres aren’t exactly lining up to get in.

READ MORE: Where the most dangerous intersections in Kamloops, Okanagan are

The idea of providing families with affordable care is appealing but Tayler Walch, who owns small daycare centre in Kamloops, is choosing not to apply.

“(The government) emails us to let us know about any new funding, updates to things and when intakes are open for certain things,” she said. “But there is a lack of clarity as to how the program will work and a difficult application process.”

Walch said the application process is complicated and intrusive.

“It’s annoying,” she said. “They want to know everything including all the details of your lease or mortgage. I tried to fill it out and when I got to the budget portion it was too complicated and I gave up. Other providers are telling me we have to sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

She said the government picking and choosing which daycares are accepted at what times adds more confusion.

“Last intake they were only taking in non-profit centres so it is hard to know if and when you’d be accepted,” she said. “I’m hearing a lot of negative views on the program so far from other care providers and I don’t see any benefit for business owners, just more paperwork and it puts us further under the government’s control.”

Applications from providers that offer child care for families with children five years of age and younger are being accepted for the next month until Aug. 18, and all childcare providers are encouraged to apply.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.