Local families in Richmond will soon have access to 40 new licensed child care spaces.

The spaces come from a $250,000 investment through the Province’s Childcare BC New Spaces Fund.

“One of our goals is to give B.C. families access to more quality, licensed child care spaces,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “These new spaces are good news for young families in Richmond, and especially for parents searching for the much-needed infant and toddler spaces.”

Kids & Company Corporate Child Care Services is renovating its existing child care facility in Richmond to create 40 new spaces. This includes 24 infant and toddler spaces, and 16 spaces for children aged 30 months to school age. This expansion will take the total number of spaces available at the centre to 96: 48 infant and toddler spaces, and 48 spaces for children aged three years to kindergarten.

“We are so grateful to the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund for supporting our expansion,” said Sue Purser, chief administration officer, Kids & Company. “New families are looking forward to the proprietary programming we offer, the nutritious menus planned and prepared by our Kidco Kitchen, and our flexible schedules that will be available early 2019.”

The expansion will also allow Kids & Company to increase its community involvement and provide additional services, such as complimentary public events, educational seminars for parents and special programs for Indigenous families. The facility will be accessible and will include exterior ramps and a barrier-free washroom for children who may have extra support needs.

“Inclusion is an important part of our Childcare BC plan and a key consideration under the New Spaces Fund,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. “These new licensed spaces give families access to quality supports and services that meet their needs.”

Under the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, child care providers can apply at any time throughout the year under a new continuous application process. 

These new spaces are among the first to be announced under the New Spaces Fund. Since launching the program in July 2018, more than 1,000 new licensed child care spaces have been approved for funding. More new spaces will be announced for communities throughout B.C. as projects are approved.

The $221-million fund will support the creation of approximately 22,000 new licensed child care spaces over the next three years. This initiative is part of the B.C. government’s Childcare BC plan and supports its commitment to give B.C. families access to affordable, quality child care throughout the province.

Learn More:

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

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

To find child care in your community, view the online child care map: http://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/ccf/

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

For more information about Kids & Company, visit: www.kidsandcompany.com