A last minute letter from the provincial government saying that some child care funding cuts won't be as deep as originally announced has child care centre operators shaking their heads this week.

Linda Reid, Minister of State for Child Care, announced June 28 that the province would be increasing child care funding rates. That had child care workers and parents confused, as funding has been reduced, not increased. However, funding for children under age three hasn't been cut as severely as originally announced earlier this year.

"They're calling it an increase, but what's really happening is that it's not as much of a cut as expected," said Judy Desprez, coordinator of Forest Circle Child Care Centre.

Gwen Bennett, coordinator of Cari's Infant and Toddler Centre, said she's glad to hear there will be a little more funding than expected, but it's frustrating to get the information at the eleventh hour.

"It is good news, but it's still a cut and it's being announced as an increase," Bennett said. "It's certainly not an increase.

"We were in the middle of doing our July billing, we came up with a new fee structure, we changed our literature. Then we received notification and we have to re-do it all."

The letter announcing the change was dated June 20. Bennett said she received it June 26. Desprez received the letter on July 3.

Earlier this year, child care advocates were angered when Reid issued a letter to the child care community saying because the federal government eliminated the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) agreement, and decided instead to give money directly to parents ($100 a month, which is taxable) through the Universal Child Care Benefit, B.C. will lose about $455 million in federal funding over the next three years. The ELCC agreement with the federal government expired March 31.

Reid said Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) rates would be reduced as of July 1 to "pre-ELCC" levels, meaning daycare centres would receive $3.76 less per day per child under age three and $2 per day less per child for three to five-year-olds. Now, the cut is about $2 per child across the board.

Multiply that amount per child times five days a week and that resulted in a funding shortfall for child care centres.

North Island MLA and NDP child care critic Claire Trevena said the province has mismanaged the entire situation.

"As of today, funding for child care spaces will be reduced by more than two dollars a day, which creates a huge funding gap for child care providers who are already working as hard as they can to make do with inadequate funding," Trevena said Tuesday. "In a time when we should be investing in the future of our children, this cutback is a big blow for children and families."

Trevena said the last minute announcement was unfair to child care centres.

"Child care providers had already sent out notices to families informing them of the funding cuts and then at the last minute, the Minister decided to change the size of the funding cuts," she said.

Trevena called on Premier Gordon Campbell to step in and "put a stop to the chaos and confusion."

She added that the child care community has already been hard hit due to the closure of five Child Care Resource and Referral Centres in the province this year, which occurred because of funding cuts.

The B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) said parents and child care providers should take credit for the fact that the cuts for children under three aren't as deep as earlier announced.

"The Minister of State Responsible for Child Care is clearly backtracking on the size of the cuts in response to the sustained outcry from families and child care supporters in recent months," said George Heyman, BCGEU president.

Until June 30, the province used to contribute $14.04 per child for a full day of daycare for children up to 35 months old. Reid announced earlier this year that the amount would be reduced to $10.28 per child per day for children under three. Now, she's announced the province's contribution will be $12 per day per child under three.

Heyman said B.C. is the only province to have cut child care funding following the announcement of the elimination of federal child care transfer funds.