Child care is getting less expensive and easier to find for families in Campbell River as the Province invests in 12 new child care spaces.

The spaces give more parents the option to return to work, go back to school or pursue other opportunities.

“By making child care a priority, our government is building a province that opens the doors of opportunity to young people of all backgrounds,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “We are making child care more affordable and accessible, so people in Campbell River don’t have to choose between starting a family or growing their career.”

Through Childcare BC’s New Spaces Fund, Island Life Early Learning Centre is creating 12 new infant/toddler spaces. Located within the Salvation Army community church, the centre offers a number of services for families, including support for those who are new to Canada and Indigenous language programming. The facility also plans to host monthly guest speaker nights where parents can learn more about child development, nutrition and health.

“Our goal is to create a centre that provides a multicultural, socially stimulating and community minded environment that puts children on the path to self-development and success,” said Jennifer Cross, owner and operator, Island Life Early Learning Centre. “This provincial funding means we can renovate our space to help more kids grow, learn and thrive in an environment that nurtures all aspects of their development.”

More than 75 new, affordable licensed child care spaces in Campbell River have been funded by the Province since the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund launched in July 2018. They are part of the fastest creation of child care spaces in B.C.’s history, with more than 10,400 funded in the past 15 months.

With the addition of 900 spaces funded through partnerships with the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and Aboriginal Head Start using federal funding, and 4,100 spaces created through the 2017 Budget Update, more than 15,400 spaces have been funded in B.C. This brings the total spaces funded in Campbell River in the past two years to more than 170.

“Children in Campbell River deserve the best possible start in life and that means the opportunity to develop their critical thinking, communication and social skills in a safe environment,” said Claire Trevena, MLA for North Island. “The investments our government is making in child care mean parents are facing fewer financial pressures and have more peace of mind when they drop their kids off in the morning.”

Since launching in February 2018, the Childcare BC plan has helped parents in Campbell River save more than $4 million through the Affordable Child Care Benefit and Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative.

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 Province has made significant investments to improve supports to B.C.’s early care and learning professionals. To date, more than 10,000 early childhood educators have received a $1-per-hour wage enhancement, with another $1-per-hour lift to come in April 2020.
• In Campbell River, the Province has provided more than $123,000 to early childhood educators through the wage enhancement.

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

For more information about child care in Campbell River, visit the Vancouver Island Child Care resource and referral centre: http://vancouverislandccrr.ca/index-4.html