Hiring and keeping qualified early childhood educators (ECEs) is a major challenge for child care centres in British Columbia. The BC Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement helps close the wage gap by funding a fixed hourly increase for eligible educators. Employers pay this increase to their staff as part of regular wages. The program is ongoing and managed by the Province of B.C. under ChildCareBC.
The Child Care Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement provides a $6 per hour wage top-up for eligible front-line ECEs in licensed child care centres. The program also funds mandatory employer costs.
Key funding details:
This funding is not a bonus or grant paid directly to educators. It is regular employment income and appears on the educator’s paycheque.
The wage enhancement offers several important benefits for child care centres and educators:
These benefits make the wage enhancement a valuable resource for licensed child care providers.
Eligibility depends on both the child care centre and the educator.
Your centre may qualify if it is:
The wage enhancement applies to:
The application must be completed by the child care provider. Individual educators do not apply on their own.
Check centre eligibility
Make sure your facility is licensed and enrolled in an eligible ChildCareBC funding stream.
Verify educator credentials
All educators included must have valid, current certification with the ECE Registry.
Apply through Child Care Operating Funding
Wage enhancement funding is managed along with Child Care Operating Funding for eligible centres.
Pay the wage increase through payroll
The $6 per hour, plus 19.25% for statutory benefits, must be paid to eligible educators as wages.
Maintain records and compliance
Centres must keep payroll and staffing records in case of audit or review.
Tools like GrantHub’s eligibility matcher can help you filter programs by province and industry, especially if your centre accesses multiple child care funding streams.
Thinking educators apply on their own
Applications must be submitted by the child care centre, not individual staff.
Including uncertified staff
Educators without valid ECE Registry certification are not eligible.
Treating the funding as a bonus
The wage enhancement must be paid as regular wages and is taxable employment income.
Not updating centre status
If your centre leaves the Fee Reduction Initiative or becomes ineligible, funding can stop.
Q: How much is the ECE wage enhancement in B.C.?
Eligible educators receive $6 per hour, plus an additional 19.25% to cover statutory employer costs.
Q: Do $10 a Day ChildCareBC centres qualify?
Yes. $10 a Day ChildCareBC centres, including some outside the Operating Funding Model test, may qualify if they meet program conditions.
Q: Is the wage enhancement taxable?
Yes. The funding is paid through payroll and treated as regular employment income.
Q: Can centres that don’t charge parent fees still receive funding?
In limited exception cases, yes. The province allows eligibility for some licensed centres that do not charge fees.
Q: Is the BC ECE wage enhancement time-limited?
No. The program is ongoing as long as the centre and educators remain eligible.
After the FAQs, remember that GrantHub tracks hundreds of active grant and wage support programs across Canada—check which ones match your business profile.
The BC Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement can help reduce staffing pressure. It also supports fair wages for your team. If you manage a licensed child care centre, this program should be a core part of your funding plan. GrantHub helps you see how wage enhancements, operating funding, and other child care grants fit together in one place.
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