The Desperate Need for Before and After School Care Programs in B.C.

Image Credit

Across British Columbia, families are struggling with one of the most pressing childcare issues of our time: the lack of accessible, affordable, and reliable before and after school care. While full-day childcare programs have seen some progress in recent years, a huge gap remains for school-aged children. Parents who work standard hours—or anything outside the school day—are left scrambling for solutions that often don’t exist in their communities.

This isn’t just inconvenient. It’s a crisis.

Why the Need Is So Urgent

• Workday vs. School Day: A typical workday runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but most elementary schools run from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. This leaves up to three hours of unaccounted time every single day.
• Transportation Barriers: When before and after school programs are not offered at the child’s own school, parents must arrange transportation—an impossible task for many working families.
• Limited Spots: In some communities, programs fill up instantly, leaving hundreds of families on waiting lists with no alternatives.
• Impact on Families: Parents, particularly mothers, are forced to scale back work hours, decline job opportunities, or leave the workforce entirely. Children miss out on safe, engaging environments that support their social, emotional, and academic growth.

The Common-Sense Solution

The solution is straightforward: integrate before and after school care directly into the schools children already attend.

• No Transportation Headaches: If care is offered on-site, children can move seamlessly from their classroom to their care program, eliminating the need for buses, carpools, or rushed commutes.
• Consistency for Kids: Children thrive on routine. Staying in one familiar environment throughout the day builds security and reduces stress.
• Stronger School-Community Connection: Programs run within schools can be aligned with the school’s values, extracurriculars, and academic support, creating a truly holistic approach to education and care.
• Efficiency and Accessibility: Instead of scattering limited programs across communities, every school can become a hub, ensuring no family is left without options.

What We Should Be Doing

1. Policy Change: The provincial government must mandate and fund before and after school programs as an extension of public education. This ensures programs are not optional extras, but a standard part of every school’s offerings.
2. Partnerships: Work with childcare providers, community organizations, and school districts to staff and manage programs effectively.
3. Sustainable Funding: Families cannot shoulder skyrocketing childcare costs alone. Subsidies and universal program models should be prioritized to keep care affordable.
4. Community Input: Parents, educators, and children should have a voice in shaping how these programs run—what activities are offered, what hours are covered, and how they can meet local needs.

A Win-Win for Families and Society

Expanding before and after school care within existing schools would provide relief to families, strengthen the economy by allowing more parents to fully participate in the workforce, and give children safe, enriching environments to grow. This is not just a childcare issue—it’s an education issue, an equality issue, and an economic issue.

British Columbia has made great strides in recognizing the importance of early childhood education, but the job isn’t done until school-aged children have the support they need throughout the day. By embedding before and after school programs directly into our schools, we can solve the problem at its root and ensure no child, and no family, is left behind. Take this to your local school board and try to help get this problem solved, and use these great tips for busy parents to make life easier day to day.