Parents and child care providers should take credit for today's announcement by the Campbell government that cuts to child care operating funds will not be quite as deep as it had announced earlier this year.

"The Minister of State Responsible for Child Care is clearly backtracking on the size of cuts in response to the sustained outcry from families and child care supporters in recent months," says George Heyman, president of the BC Government and Service Employees' Union.

"It's important to note that, despite Minister Linda Reid's claim today, she has not actually increased child care funding rates," adds Susan Harney, chairperson of the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC.

"Parents and child care providers will not be so easily fooled into believing the minister's assertion that reducing the amount of her initial cut to funding for Infant/Toddler programs is an increase overall."

The minister omitted from her media announcement the reality that the government's contribution to core operating funds was $14.04 for a full day of child care for children 0-35 months old, until June 30, 2007.

Reid had notified parents and child care providers that the province would then be reducing this amount to $10.28 per day, beginning July 1.

Now Reid is saying this contribution will instead be $12.00 per day - still almost $2 less than the original funding level. And this is the only age group where parents will see some change in funding. There is no relief in core funding cuts for care for 3-5 year old or school age children.

Harney and Heyman agree that what children and families need and are calling for is a real public child care plan, and "not continued lack of vision."

BC remains the only province in Canada to have made cuts to child care funding and programs following the Harper government's elimination of federal child care transfer funds.

The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC is a voluntary organization of parents, child care providers, community groups and interested citizens. The BC Government and Service Employees' Union represents most unionized early childhood educators in the province. The CCCABC and BCGEU are joint partners in the Child Care - let's make it happen! campaign.