How are we working together?
In drafting regulations for the Early Learning and Child Care Act, 2021, the Ministry of Education and Child Care (ECC) engaged First Nations, including Modern Treaty Nations, and invited input from First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC), the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society, the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC), and Métis Nation BC (MNBC). The ministry meets regularly with Indigenous partners (the Aboriginal Head Start Association of B.C., the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society, Métis Nation BC, First Nations Health Authority and BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres) to advance mutual early learning and child care priorities, engagements, and key child care initiatives. These include B.C.’s Inclusive Child Care Strategy, the development of a federal-provincial/territorial and multilateral early learning workforce strategy and proposed amendments to the B.C. Child Care Licensing Regulation.
ECC consulted and engaged with Indigenous partners in 2025 to review updates to the B.C. Child Care Sector Occupational Competencies, including the development of a draft Program Guide: B.C. ECE Standards of Practice and Occupational Competencies.
Are there challenges?
Achieving the long-term goals of Action 4.19 requires fundamental shifts in early learning and child care policies, which may take time to implement.
Sustainable, long-term, distinctions-based funding is necessary to fully support Indigenous-led and self-determined early learning and child care systems. Limited financial, workforce and infrastructure resources can hinder implementation of distinctions-based child care, and policy and funding mechanisms can further compound these challenges by obscuring distinctions.
Many Indigenous communities, particularly those in remote areas, face challenges in accessing the necessary resources for quality child care services. Ensuring alignment between provincial, federal and Indigenous governance structures will require ongoing collaboration and adaptability. Currently, early learning and child care involves multiple ministries overseeing licensing, certification and credentialing, requiring strong cross-government coordination to address regulatory barriers.
Provincial and federal funding and reporting timelines can misalign with Indigenous governance processes and limit meaningful engagement, consultation and decision making.
Coordinating work with multiple orders of government, First Nations governments, First Nation and Métis organizations, as well as child care providers, may result in fragmented service delivery if communication and collaboration are not effectively managed. The ministry is working alongside First Nations and Métis partners to navigate these differences.
Highlights
Effective September 1, 2024, the Early Learning and Child Care Act, 2021 and regulations allow enhanced Affordable Child Care Benefit support for child care arranged or recommended by an Indigenous authority under Indigenous law. In September 2024, ECC signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with FNLC and the federal government, committing to First Nations’ self-determination and jurisdiction over early learning and child care.
The First Nations Early Learning and Child Care Grant provided flexible funding in 2022-23 and 2023-24 to support First Nations’ distinct needs. ECC collaborated with the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society to expand and enhance the Indigenous-specific Child Care Resource and Referral program, strengthening culturally focused resources, training and support for early years professionals. 160 Métis-led child care spaces supported through partnerships with MNBC, including distinctions-based space creation funding for the development of five new child care programs. An additional 323 child care spaces, across five child care programs, are funded through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund. These partnerships with MNBC are supporting the creation of 483 Métis-led child care spaces throughout B.C. ECC partnered with the FNHA and the Aboriginal Head Start Association of B.C. to support over 2,200 no-fee Aboriginal Head Start child care spaces with culturally relevant programming.
ECC has also partnered with the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres to survey Friendship Centres on early learning and child care priorities, presenting results to the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres members in June 2024.
Previous years’ progress
Highlights
Work is underway to finalize a First Nations Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) and Government of Canada.
Standing up the First Nations early learning and child care (ELCC) grants providing funding directly to First Nations to address self-determined child care priorities for their communities. Nations began reporting out on the grant funds through a brief survey in March 2024, which will help to inform future planning.
In 2023, the Ministry hosted a series of webinars and in-person, regional engagements to build relationships with Indigenous Peoples to support the work of advancing jurisdiction of child care for Indigenous Peoples in B.C. who want or need it. Ministry staff worked in collaboration with Indigenous partners – B.C. Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS) , First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), Aboriginal Head Start Association of B.C. (AHSABC), Métis Nation BC (MNBC), and BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) – to plan these engagements.
Ministry staff also hosted a series of webinars in February 2024 for First Nations, including Modern Treaty Nations, Métis, and urban Indigenous partners to consult and engage on the proposed review of the child care subsidy regulations (CCSR).
Continued expansion of the Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) program providing no-fee AHS services to families. AHS is community designed, developed, and delivered culturally based ELCC program with wrap around supports for families.
43 First Nations were engaged on the CW-ELCC Action Plans and a total of 13 individuals representing First Nations, one Modern Treaty Nation and two Indigenous organizations along with MNBC attended the child care subsidy regulation (CCSR) webinars.
$35 million in First Nations ELCC grants was made available each FY 22/ 23, 189 First Nations accessed these grants in 22/23, another process is underway to send an additional $35 million in grants out in 23/24; $50 million to Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) for minor capital and operational funding to roughly 1,780 AHS spaces province-wide in 2023/24 providing no-fee AHS child care for families. The number of AHS spaces is expected to grow in future years to over 2,300 spaces and further anticipated growth to approx. 2500 spaces by 2026.
$0.574 million for MNBC to continue their early years navigator program. Since its inception, the Métis early years have enrolled over 1,700 children into the Métis family connections program to support Métis families in accessing early years and child care programs grounded in Métis culture. $0.5 million for MNBC providing a Métis-led delivery of child care supports and services to Métis families, providers, and organizations across the province. Additionally, $10.47 million to MNBC (to support 126 new child care spaces with priority for Métis children, open to all Indigenous families).
How are we working together?
The Ministry meets regularly with Indigenous partners to maintain and strengthen relationships.
In response to October 2022 resolutions from Union of BC Indian Chiefs, BC Assembly of First Nations, and First Nations, Education and Child Care staff are working on a First Nations early learning and child care (ELCC) tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) with First Nations Leadership Council and the Government of Canada.
Ministry staff meet bi-weekly with FNLC, BCACCS and FNESC for guidance on First Nations child care and approaches to consultation and co-development with First Nations.
In the fall of 2023, the Ministry worked with FNLC, BCACCS and FNESC to co-develop a First Nations ELCC consultation and engagement plan. Phase one consultation focused on broad engagements and phase two consultation will focus on the question of jurisdiction in ELCC.
In April 2023 the Ministry engaged with First Nations regarding their priorities for the 23/24 to 25/26 Canada Wide-ELCC action plan. Eight regional in person engagement sessions across the province were co-developed and co-hosted with BCACCS, AHSABC, FNHA, MNBC, and BCAAFC on ELCC in the winter and spring of 2024. Engagement is being planned with MNBC to co-host ELCC webinars with Métis Chartered Communities in Spring 2024.
Are there challenges?
To support the long-term goals of Action 4.19, there will need to be fundamental shifts in the child care system. In the meantime, changes to exiting policies and processes are underway which aim to support self-determination. These changes include implementing new approaches to funding and engaging in ongoing consultation with Indigenous Peoples.
Fiscal year and federal/provincial deadlines do not align with the need for meaningful engagement and consultation with First Nations, Métis, and urban Indigenous service organizations. The Ministry will need to work alongside First Nations and Métis partners to understand the distinct pace and sequence of activities that will advance respective jurisdiction of child care.