Parents in Lake Country will soon have access to 60 new licensed child care spaces as part of a partnership between the Ministry of Children and Family Development, District of Lake Country and the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs.

“We’re encouraging municipalities and local governments to take advantage of both federal and provincial funding to create new child care spaces for their communities,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. “It’s great that Lake Country has responded positively to this opportunity and by combining available funding, is giving even more families access to quality child care that meets their needs.”

The Province is providing $500,000 through the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund to create 20 new spaces — four infant and toddler spaces, and 16 for children aged 30 months to school age — and an outdoor playground. An additional 40 spaces will be funded through the federal Gas Tax Fund.

“The District of Lake Country, in partnership with the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club, is thankful to the Province of British Columbia for this opportunity to provide 20 additional daycare spaces to our proposed Multigenerational Activity Centre,” said James Baker, mayor of Lake Country. “This is a quickly growing community and finding child care has been difficult for many local families. This project will greatly benefit the community of Lake Country and local families.”

The new child care centre will be operated by the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs and located in a community activity centre. The centre will offer fully inclusive child care as well as provide programming for Indigenous families. The boys and girls club will also offer wraparound services for families and youth, such as employment supports, recreation programs, an infant development program and parent supports. The community centre will also boast a wide range of programs from arts to computer classes.

“Families need more quality child care spaces, which is a key priority under Childcare BC,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “By working in partnership with a local non-profit, the District of Lake Country will be able to offer quality child care as well as wraparound services that will enrich the lives of families in the region for many years to come.”

Under the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, local governments applying for funding to partner with non-profit organizations to offer new licensed child care spaces are eligible for up to $1 million per facility under the public-sector partnership funding stream.

These new spaces are among the first to be announced under the Province’s Childcare BC New Spaces Fund. Since launching the program in July 2018, more than 1,000 new licensed child care spaces have been approved for funding, and the B.C. government is on target to reach its year one goal of 2,700 spaces. More new spaces will be announced for communities throughout B.C. in the coming weeks and months.

The Childcare BC New Spaces Fund is part of the Province’s $1-billion investment in child care over the next three years through government’s long-term Childcare BC plan. The plan will move B.C. towards a universal child care system that will give B.C. families access to affordable, quality child care when they need or want it.

Learn More:

For more information about the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund and to apply, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/newspacesfund

Child care factsheet: https://news.gov.bc.ca/18430