Families in Port Hardy will have access to 52 new licensed child care spaces as part of the Province’s ongoing commitment to increasing child care through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.  

“Access to quality, affordable child care has been a challenge for families across B.C., but this issue has been exacerbated in rural communities like Port Hardy,” said Claire Trevena, MLA for North Island. “This new child care facility is so much more than a building. Local language will be incorporated into the programming, nutritious snacks and meals will be provided and the Good Food Box program will operate from it. These services cater to the health and well-being of the entire family.”

Childcare BC’s New Spaces Fund is supporting the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nations (GNN) to create eight infant/toddler spaces, 16 group child care spaces for children aged 30 months to kindergarten, 19 pre-school spaces and nine school-age spaces.

“We are looking forward to offering our children a safe, comfortable and specialized facility,” said Terry Dunn, capital project manager, GNN. “We will soon be able to offer a daycare with culturally inclusive and appropriate curriculum that will allow parents and caretakers the opportunity to enter the workforce or continue their education. The daycare will benefit our entire community.”

July 2020 marks the second anniversary of the launch of the New Spaces Fund, which has approved an average of 700 new spaces for funding each month. So far, nearly 16,800 new spaces have been funded throughout the province, helping parents return to work, go back to school or pursue other opportunities. 

“As a former early childhood educator, I know that quality child care makes a huge difference to families, allowing parents to go back to work or school and benefiting local economies in every part of B.C.,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. “I’m proud of the progress our government has made in a short time. By funding over 16,000 child care spaces across the province, our Childcare BC plan is saving parents time and money and helping children along the path to lifelong learning.”  

These new spaces are part of the fastest creation of child care spaces in B.C.’s history. An additional 4,100 spaces, funded through the 2017 Budget Update and the Early Learning and Child Care agreement with the Government of Canada, means that more than 20,900 new licensed spaces have been funded since July 2017.

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:

• This investment means 64 new licensed child care spaces have been funded in Port Hardy since July 2018.
• As the Province moves towards its “new normal” under COVID-19, child care capital builds may see unexpected delays.
• Once operational, child care providers will be required to follow guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health and BC Centre for Disease Control to keep staff and the families they serve safe and to limit the risk of transmission.

Learn More:

For information on health and safety standards for child care, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/ChildCareCovid-19Response 

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

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

For more information on child care in Port Hardy, visit the Central and North Vancouver Island Child Care Resource and Referral centre: https://pacific-care.bc.ca/

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 on the Childcare BC Universal Prototype Sites, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcareprototypesites

A backgrounder follows.