Golden Child Daycare will soon have twice as many licensed child care spaces in a more accessible facility, in part due to a $202,712 investment through the Province’s Childcare BC New Spaces Fund.

“It’s vital that we do more to bring relief to families in Golden who have been struggling to find child care for too long,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. “I’m thrilled to see the Columbia Basin Trust also continue to support child care in the region. By combining the trust’s funding with government funding, Golden Child Daycare will be able to help twice as many parents return to the workforce or pursue further education safe in the knowledge that their children are receiving quality child care.”

Golden Child Daycare is renovating its existing child care facility to add 16 new child care spaces for children from birth to age 12, taking the total number of spaces to 32. The Columbia Basin Trust is providing an additional $125,000 for this project.

“Golden Child Daycare is extremely grateful for the support of the provincial government and Columbia Basin Trust,” said Pamela Tetrault, owner of Golden Child Daycare. “The added 16 spaces would not be possible without their contribution. We are excited to be able to offer more child care spaces to the families in Golden. There is such a need and it will be so nice to be able to say ‘yes’ to the parents that need child care.”

The facility is co-located with the local martial arts dojo, letting children try activities like yoga and karate. Food from its vegetable garden and small orchard is used for healthy snacks or given to children to take home. In addition to renovation on the centre’s indoor space, funding will also be used to make an accessible outdoor play area. The centre expects the expansion to be completed by September 2019.

“Golden Child Daycare is one of only a few licensed providers in the area,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “This expansion will help the centre make their space more accessible, so even more local children will have the opportunity to experience new things and challenge themselves to reach their full potential.”  

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

The Childcare BC New Spaces Fund is part of the Province’s Childcare BC plan and supports its commitment to give B.C. families access to affordable, quality child care when they want or need it. Since July 2018, the Province has funded more than 4,300 new licensed child care spaces throughout B.C. under its space creation programs. More new spaces will be announced as projects are approved.

Investing in child care and early childhood education is a shared priority between government and the BC Green Party caucus, and is part of the Confidence and Supply Agreement.

Quick Facts:

• The Town of Golden recently received a $24,750 grant to help it undertake a needs assessment and create a child care action plan to support local families over the next 10 years. This funding comes from the Community Child Care Planning Program, a $3-million partnership between the Province and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

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 a 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 information on child care in Golden, visit the Golden child care resource and referral centre: www.goldencommunityresources.ca/ccrr.html

For more information about Golden Child Daycare, visit: www.goldenchilddaycare.ca/index.html