A significant increase in funding will help public-sector and non-profit organizations create more publicly owned and operated child care spaces in their communities, bringing child care closer to home and making life more affordable for B.C. families.

The maximum funding amount available from the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund to public-sector organizations, such as local governments, school districts, tribal councils and First Nations governments, is increasing to $3 million per project, up from $1 million. Additionally, non-profit organizations – including Indigenous organizations – will be eligible for up to $1.5 million per project, three times more than was previously available.

“Our government believes all families should have access to publicly supported child care just as they have access to public education – and the best way to make that happen is by working in partnership with public-sector and non-profit organizations,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. “By offering incentives to these sectors, we can strengthen communities and give families access to the services they need right on their doorstep, meaning they no longer have to give up valuable family time to get to their child care centre far from where they live – and we know that for families, that positive change can’t come soon enough.”

As well as the funding increase, the ministry is introducing a new process to allow experienced public-sector and non-profit organizations to apply for funding for multiple projects at once. More information on this process will be available in the coming weeks.

“Child care has the ability to be the common ground that brings families in communities together,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “We’ve seen the City of Vancouver and the School District of Victoria thinking outside the box to create hundreds of new licensed child care spaces, and we encourage other local governments and organizations, from large to small, to bring their ideas for solving the child care space shortage. Together, we will forge long-lasting partnerships to deliver publicly funded child care spaces that will be life-changing for families and communities for decades to come.”

Under the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, child care providers can apply for funding to create new child care spaces at any time throughout the year under a continuous application process. It is part of the Province's Childcare BC plan, designed to give B.C. families access to affordable, quality child care when they want or need it. Since July 2018, the Province has funded approximately 9,000 new licensed child care spaces throughout B.C. 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.

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 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