More families throughout B.C. will have access to affordable and high-quality child care as the Province invests in almost 600 new licensed child care spaces.

“Thanks to our government’s ChildCareBC plan, hundreds more families will be able to access the child care they need, close to home,” said Mitzi Dean, B.C.’s Minister of State for Child Care. “We know that having access to secure child care spaces supports families and strengthens communities. Through these investments, more families will be able to pursue opportunities and will provide children with great early learning experiences.”

The new spaces were made possible with provincial and federal funding through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund, as well as the new federal Child Care Infrastructure Fund. More than $74 million was provided to First Nations, local governments and school districts to create these new child care spaces.

“These new spots will make a significant difference for families in British Columbia, providing them with the flexibility and support they need, while ensuring children have the best possible start in life,” said Jenna Sudds, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “We will keep working hard to create more spots to get kids off wait lists and into high-quality, affordable child care in their communities.”

The nine new child care centres will be located in: Esk’etemc First Nation, Homalco First Nation, G̱aw Tlagée, Kelowna, Langford, Metchosin, Peachland, Pemberton and West Vancouver.

“The first five years are the most crucial in a child's life,” said Amanda Dowhy, board chair, School District 62. “Our board of education is proud to collaborate with the Government of British Columbia with the support from the Government of Canada to create more child care spaces for families in our district. These new spaces will offer children a place to thrive and grow, preparing them to become future learners in our schools.”

When the new facilities are open, families will benefit from affordable child care fees through the Province’s fee-reduction program, which reduces the cost of child care by as much as $900 per child per month.

Since 2018, ChildCareBC accelerated space-creation programs have helped fund more than 39,000 new licensed child care spaces in B.C. Of these, more than 11,600 are thanks in part to the 2021-22 to 2025-26 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.

Quotes:

Ravi Parmar, MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca –

“With more families making the Westshore home, this new child care centre and our commitment to building more is exactly what our community needs. Quality child care supports families and saves them thousands. Our community is getting stronger, and more adorable, by the day.”

Scott Goodmanson, mayor, Langford –

“As a young and rapidly growing community, it’s crucial to have enough affordable, high-quality daycare spaces for Langford families. Increasing the number of daycare spaces is a council priority as detailed in Langford's first strategic plan. We thank the Province and the federal government for recognizing this critical need in our community and providing funding support.”

Learn More:

For more information on ChildCareBC, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/childcare

For more information on the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/newspacesfund

To learn more about the CW-ELCC agreement, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories/british-columbia-canada-wide-2021.html

A backgrounder follows.