This past week, the B.C. government announced increases to the B.C. Family Benefit to assist families in the province, and additional funds for single parents.
I was asked to speak at the announcement on Tuesday, and I was honoured to share my past experiences receiving the B.C. Family Benefit and the Affordable Child Care Benefit, which was called Child Care Subsidy when I utilized it.
I have written about these supports in the past and the Tuesday announcement gave me an opportunity to reflect on the challenges for young families, especially with the additional challenges of being a single parent.
Today, I am an entrepreneur and own my own business. I had my daughter when I was 27. I’d been to college and was working as a journalist. Being a full-time single parent and sole financial supporter for my family, I faced a lot of pressure and had little funds to accomplish everything we needed.
There is no denying that without the child-care subsidy, I wouldn’t have the career I have today. I shared this with some of my colleagues, and many other mothers said the child-care subsidy did the same for them.
Sometimes, there is a stigma associated with receiving support from the government, a belief that people shouldn’t need to depend on the government for support. Yet there are many families who are able to thrive and build the lives they always dreamed of because of these supports.
I am not a millionaire and I don’t live in a mansion. I don’t even own my own home. What I do have is a comfortable life for me and my daughter. We have things we need, things we want and a few extras sprinkled in.
The support when she was young allowed me to build a good life, a life that in those early years I wasn’t sure I’d ever have.
When you have little and are just starting out, many things can seem unattainable, including some things that many of us take for granted, like a vehicle that isn’t in need of repairs, a raincoat, or a full tank of gas.
The B.C. Family Benefit was helpful in the early years, and even though it wasn’t a huge sum of money, it was money that was dependable. For parents, knowing that $200 or $300 will be in their account on the 20th of the month can make a big difference.
There was a time when child-care-subsidy amounts remained the same January to December. At one point under the old system, I no longer qualified for the subsidy, because I’d moved to a job that paid $25 an hour.
I called the department and asked if there was additional support for the summer. By this time, my daughter was in school and before-and-after-school-care fees were about $450 a month, but in the summer, it was $250 a week, totalling $1,000 a month.
For winter break and spring break, child-care providers required parents to pay the full monthly fee. If the child attended winter break or spring break camps, it cost $250 a week. My daughter is older now, but I am pretty sure the same systems are in place. Correct me if I am wrong.
I told the subsidy office I could afford the $450 a month and was happy to pay it. I was proud that I’d advanced in my career to be able to pay it. I did let them know, however, that the fee in December would be $950, May would be $950, and July and August would be $1,000 each and that would be more difficult to pay. Back then, there was no additional subsidy for these times.
During those years, I would only take vacation during those times to ease the childcare costs. When people would ask me what I was doing for the summer, I always replied: “paying for childcare” — there were no extras for a vacation or fun trip.
Years later, the program did change. Families making up to $105,000 now qualify for a sliding scale of support, and the subsidy has increased for the school breaks and summers. When that happened, my daughter was still in elementary school, so we were able to enjoy those breaks and take some small trips.
The assistance might not sound like a lot, and some might wonder if it does what it’s intended to do. For me, my life would have turned out so different without it.
I don’t think we hear enough from people who have been able to change their lives due to the assistance of the programs, and I encourage others to share their stories.
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