More parents in Vancouver, New Westminster and Richmond are able to pursue work or education opportunities, thanks to 107 new child care spaces and an additional 41 new spaces expected to open by the end of the year.

“Parents and children in Vancouver, New Westminster, Richmond and communities across the province are benefiting every day from our historic investments in child care,” said Aman Singh, MLA for Richmond-Queensborough. “Having more child care spaces open means more parents can go back to work or school to pursue their goals because they know their kids are being cared for and nurtured.”

The new spaces were funded through the Province’s Child Care Rapid Renovation Fund, which provided approximately $11 million to non-profit groups, schools and other public-sector organizations to quickly create new child care spaces.

“The past 20 months have made it very clear that child care is more important than ever,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “On top of the uncertainty of the pandemic, parents had to juggle the stress of working from home while also caring for their kids or needing to make new child care arrangements. Our Child Care Rapid Renovation Fund is one way we’re quickly addressing the need for more affordable, quality child care spaces, while also funding long-term child care projects that will benefit families and communities for generations to come.”

Families in Vancouver, New Westminster and Richmond will benefit from 148 new licensed child care spaces in total by the end of the year:

• East Village Kids Daycare in Vancouver will open 24 spaces by Dec. 31, 2021.
• Alderwood House Program at RJ Tait Elementary in Richmond opened 27 spaces in September 2021.
• Societe du Service de Garde Les Copains Colibris in Vancouver opened 80 spaces in October 2021.
• New Westminster’s Dragons’ Grove school is expected to open 17 spaces in the coming weeks.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to offer our school community 80 new after-school spaces in renovated facilities,” said Fariba Daragahi, assistant superintendent, Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF). “By offering after-school care directly on site, the children of Les Colibris school no longer will need to travel by bus to after-school care. Thanks to this support, students are now welcomed into a renovated, pleasant and safe environment that promotes their growth and development.”

The Child Care Rapid Renovation Fund supported the creation of 912 new licensed child care spaces in 20 communities throughout B.C.

“Our government is committed to supporting lifelong learning and healthy families through child care programs and in schools throughout B.C.,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education. “The Child Care Rapid Renovation Fund gives parents more child care options within their communities and builds on our ongoing work to ensure new child care spaces are available, accessible and affordable for all B.C. families.”

The Province is committed to bringing affordable, quality, inclusive child care to families throughout B.C. Since 2018, tens of thousands of families have benefited from better access to more affordable child care, with some parents saving as much as $1,600 a month.

Quick Facts:

• Since 2018, more than 26,000 new licensed child care spaces have been funded for families in B.C.
• The Childcare BC plan has helped parents save as much as $1,600 a month, per child, for a total of more than $750 million through the Affordable Child Care Benefit and Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative.
• As a result of these investments, parents in the Vancouver Coastal region have saved almost $325 million, and parents in the Fraser region have saved more than $153 million.
• To date, early childhood educators in the Vancouver Coastal region have received more than $27 million in wage enhancements, and early childhood educators in the Fraser region have received more than $17 million in wage enhancements.

Learn More:

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

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