Families at Alexandra Neighbourhood House child care centre are now paying no more than $200 a month per child as part of the B.C. government’s universal child care prototype site program.

“With Surrey being one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada, we know there are so many young families who need this initiative,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “This centre exemplifies, as so many child care centres do, what it means to go above and beyond, offering longer hours or even short-term subsidies for families who need it.”

Alexandra Neighbourhood House is one of more than 50 sites chosen to offer low-cost child care to B.C. parents. The centre delivers inclusive care, supporting families from various cultural backgrounds, as well as low-income families. It also offers wraparound services to ensure that families have the supports they need to thrive.

“We committed to introduce affordable, accessible and quality child care for every parent who wants it,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. ”These spaces are the first step to making that vision a reality, and we’re excited to be working with providers across the province to make life better for B.C. families.”

The Childcare BC Universal Prototype Sites will model what high-quality, affordable, universal child care may look like for B.C. families. This funding will allow Alexandra Neighbourhood House child care centre to offer 58 quality low-cost licensed child care spaces to parents in Surrey. In all, parents of more than 2,500 children will benefit from the prototype project.

This project is funded through a $60-million investment as part of the Early Learning and Child Care agreement with the Government of Canada. It complements the Province’s $1-billion three-year investment through Childcare BC to move toward its long-term vision of affordable, accessible and quality child care for any family that needs it.

Parents who are not accessing these low-cost spaces may still be eligible for support through the Affordable Child Care Benefit, which provides up to $1,250 per child a month for families with an annual income of $111,000 or less. Families using licensed child care may also see savings through the Child Care Fee Reduction, which has so far helped to reduce the cost of almost 52,000 child care spaces around the province.

Learn More:

For more about Childcare BC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare

For more information about universal child care prototype sites, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/prototypesites

To learn more about the Affordable Child Care Benefit, and to apply, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/affordablechildcarebenefit

For more information about the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative and approved providers, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/optin