Families in Langley will have access to more than 140 new licensed child care spaces as part of the Province’s ongoing commitment to increasing access to child care through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. 

“After a challenging year, we know that parents, families and child care workers need support more than ever,” said Megan Dykeman, MLA for Langley-East. “Increasing child care options here in Langley will help to ease strain on our community as we look forward to economic recovery.”

The Childcare BC New Spaces Fund is supporting two projects to create 144 new licensed child care spaces in Langley. These spaces are part of the fastest creation of child care spaces in B.C.’s history and were part of the September 2020 milestone that marked more than 20,000 new spaces funded throughout the province in just over two years.

“Langley is a great place to raise a family,” said Andrew Mercier, MLA for Langley. “As someone raising my own family here, I know first-hand how important our government’s investment in new available child care is to ensuring that families can thrive in Langley for years to come.”

Families will be able to access new licensed spaces at the following child care centres:  

• Simply Kids Early Learning Society (108 spaces)
• Creative Moments Childcare Centre (36 spaces)

“Families are at the heart of this community, and children are at the centre of families,” said Hiral Doshi, manager, Creative Moments Childcare Centre. “We’re proud to be making history with the government by providing safe and reliable child care to families in Langley.”

An additional 4,110 spaces, funded through the 2017 Budget Update and the Early Learning and Child Care agreement with the Government of Canada, takes the total number of new licensed spaces funded in B.C. to more than 24,500 since July 2017.

“These new child care spaces for families in Langley are bringing us one step closer to delivering the quality, affordable and inclusive child care that all B.C. families deserve,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “Child care for families is key to B.C.’s economic recovery, and these new spaces will make it easier for parents, especially mothers who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, to return to work or school.”

Quick Facts:

• Since July 2018, more than 20,000 new licensed child care spaces have been funded in British Columbia, including 721 in Langley.
• Throughout the province, the Childcare BC plan has helped parents save up to $1,600 a month per child through the Affordable Child Care Benefit and the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative. 
• As a result of these investments, parents in Langley have saved more than $26 million on child care.
• Early childhood educators in Langley have received almost $2 million in wage enhancements.
• Through B.C.’s combined affordability initiatives, more than 36,000 children have received child care for $10/day or less since the beginning of the Childcare BC plan.

Learn More:

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

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

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

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

For a French translation, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021CFD0022-000348#translations

A backgrounder follows.