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UBCM partnership supports child care space creation

Local governments understand and know best what their communities need. Their relationships with public-sector agencies, including school districts, make it easier for them to forge innovative partnerships and identify new child care locations where needs are highest.

The Province is partnering with the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and creating two new initiatives — the Community Child Care Space Creation Program and Community Child Care Planning grant program — that will give communities a voice in creating a new, quality child care system that is affordable and accessible for B.C. families, and effectively uses publicly available assets and lands.

The deadline to apply for both programs is Jan. 18, 2019. Successful grant recipients will be announced in the spring of 2019.

Community Child Care Space Creation Program

The Community Child Care Space Creation Program complements the recently launched Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, which is funding the creation of 22,000 new child care spaces over three years, improving access to child care for thousands of B.C. families. The space creation program is open to local governments in B.C. — both municipal and regional — that are working with partners to locate child care facilities on local government property.

The Child Care Space Creation Program will:

  • Provide up to $1 million per project, with the goal of creating 1,370 licensed spaces.
  • Prioritize underserved communities.
  • Support innovative partnerships to help create needed child care spaces throughout the province.

Consistent with the Province’s recently launched Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, in order to receive funding through the Community Child Care Space Creation Program, the operator of the new child care spaces must be approved for Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative funding (where eligible) before they receive the final payment from UBCM. This will help ensure that new licensed child care spaces are more affordable for families.

Community Child Care Planning grants

B.C. municipal governments and regional districts can apply for Community Child Care Planning grants, which will support communities to assess and plan for the creation of child care spaces, to meet the needs of local families over the next decade.

Applicants will need to collect and report information related to the current availability of child care spaces in their communities and the degree to which those spaces meet community needs.

In instances where a municipality and regional district wish to collaborate on a single project to enable them to do more effective and co-ordinated regional planning – or should several municipalities wish to work together – one applicant may apply on behalf of the others. In these cases, the maximum funding that would be available is based on the number of eligible applicants included in the application. For example, if two municipalities apply for funding together, they would be eligible to receive a maximum of $50,000.

The new grants will help communities create an inventory, needs assessment and action plan that outlines short-, medium- and long-term space creation goals.

Local governments receiving these grants will work with child care stakeholders in their communities to understand their specific needs, identify areas where child care is needed, the number of spaces and the types of child care required. Plans will also help to identify whether current spaces are meeting the unique needs of underserved populations.

Learn More:

For more information and to apply for funding, visit: www.ubcm.ca

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