Thousands of parents around the province are returning to work, going back to school or pursuing other opportunities, thanks to the Province funding more than 10,400 new, affordable licensed child care spaces.

With the average-sized household in Canada at 2.9 people, Natalie and Merv realize their family of 12 is somewhat unusual.

“Family is everything,” says Sonja Paine.

“The second I open my door, they are part of my family, so they know they have someone in their corner,” says Anna Miller about the 200 youth she estimates she has fostered over the past 36 years.

If you think you know what being a foster parent in 2019 looks like, you probably haven’t talked to Sandy Case, president of the Vancouver Island (South) Foster Parent Association and 25-year foster caregiver.

Families throughout British Columbia will have better access to closer-to-home child care, thanks to new provincial guidelines that allow local governments to pair funding programs and purchase land to create new child care spaces.

More than 90 new child care spaces are coming to the University of British Columbia, giving kids an early taste of UBC life.