Province re-thinks child care cuts
Abbotsford Times
March 6, 2007

The province will put $9 million back into the budget for the Child Care Resource and Referral Program [CCRR].

The CCRR provides support to parents and childcare providers, with lending libraries, a referral and screening program, training for childcare providers and assistance for parents trying to fill out subsidy paperwork - just to name a few of their services.

In January, the government announced it would be cutting CCRR service budgets by almost 80 per cent, to much for CCRR to continue to run its services, and after province-wide protests against the cuts, the province has decided to restore funds.

While the decision is a welcome one for child care advocates, president of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union George Heyman said much of the damage has been done.

"The child care community has been thrown into turmoil and confusion, and services for families are in tatters following this government's two-steps-back, one-step-forward approach to child care," he said.