PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday announced measures from the upcoming Budget 2024 to build more affordable child care spaces – saving more families thousands of dollars and helping more parents return to their careers.

These measures include:

• Launching a new Child Care Expansion Loan Program. With $1 billion in low-cost loans and $60 million in non-repayable grants, public and not-for-profit child care providers will be able to build new spaces and renovate their existing child care centres. This means more resources for child care providers and more affordable child care options for families.
• Offering student loan forgiveness for rural and remote early childhood educators. This will encourage educators to work in smaller communities and help families get the child care they need. With a $48 million investment over four years, student loan forgiveness will increase the longer an educator works in a rural or remote area, attracting and retaining the talent, similar to the programs we’re offering rural doctors and nurses.
• Increasing training for early childhood educators. The federal government is investing $10 million over two years to train more early childhood educators, building up the talent needed for the expansion of affordable, high-quality child care.

While in Surrey, Trudeau also announced that the government is providing British Columbia with $69.9 million to create new child care spaces and support inclusive child care services across the province. This investment, through the Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund, means more spaces – and more affordable spaces – for families in British Columbia.

Additionally, British Columbia announced that over 930 child care spaces are moving into the province’s $10 a Day ChildCareBC program this spring, which will save families an average of $920 a month per child. These spaces mean the Province has met – and exceeded – its target of bringing the number of $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces to 15,000 by this spring.

Trudeau said that in just three years, incredible progress has been made in building the Canada-wide early learning and child care system. Across the country, over 750,000 kids are already benefiting from affordable, high-quality child care, with some families saving up to $14,000 per child, per year. Alongside provinces and territories, the government has also announced over 100,000 new spaces, well on its way to reaching its goal of creating 250,000 new spaces by March 2026.

Trudeau said: “Affordable child care gives moms and dads the opportunity to build their careers, helps families save money, and gives kids the best start to life. That’s why in Budget 2024, we’re taking action to build more child care spaces, hire more early childhood educators, give them more training, and work with provinces like British Columbia to make sure families get the comfort and security they deserve. Fairness is making sure we support each other and build a better future – that’s what affordable child care is all about.”

Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, said: “Young families who don’t yet have access to affordable child care spaces are paying nearly a second rent or mortgage payment for unregulated child care. This is unfair to today’s generation of parents, including Millennial parents, who need and deserve the relief of $10-a-day spaces. With today’s new action to build more affordable spaces and attract and train more early childhood educators, we are helping more families across Canada access affordable child care and save thousands of dollars every year.”

Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, said: “In just three years, we have made incredible progress in making our Canada-wide early learning and child care system a reality for families. More parents who never thought it was possible can now afford high-quality early learning and child care. As we create more spaces, more parents are entering or re-entering the workforce, supporting a stronger economy. With today’s announcement we are ensuring that every family who wants a high-quality, affordable child care spot, has one.”