For Immediate Release
June 6, 2025
First Call urges targeted investments to help kids, at 2026 BC Budget Committee
Vancouver, BC – As B.C.’s child poverty rate rises, the First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society is calling on the provincial government to make bold, targeted investments in children and youth in the upcoming 2026 budget.
Presenting to the B.C. Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services on Thursday, June 5, First Call’s Executive Director Adrienne Montani laid out three urgent recommendations: reduce child and family poverty, increase investments in early childhood development, and strengthen funding for public education and school-age care.
“We know what works — income supports, early childhood programs, and properly funded schools,” said Montani. “These are not just expenses. They’re smart investments that lift children out of poverty and set them up for lifelong success.”
The organization cited a 26% increase in B.C.’s child poverty rate between 2020 and 2022. Lone-parent families now experience a staggering 46% child poverty rate. Meanwhile, over 33% of children enter kindergarten with developmental vulnerabilities, and public schools are struggling to meet students’ diverse learning needs due to staffing and space shortages.
Montani urged the BC Budget Committee to increase and index the BC Family Benefit and other income supports, raise wages for early childhood educators, expand child care access, reduce wait times for early intervention therapies, and invest in school-based supports such as education assistants, counsellors, and food programs.
First Call’s full set of poverty reduction recommendations can be found in its 2024 BC Child Poverty Report Card, with a 2025 update expected later this year.
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To arrange an interview please contact:
Judy Rudin
Manager, Communications
Email: judy@firstcallbc.org
Website: www.firstcallbc.org
