Summary

• Prince George School District (SD 57) is opening a new child care facility in Mackenzie
• Creates 62 new child care spaces for local families
• Since 2018, more than 1,190 child care spaces have been created in Mackenzie and surrounding area

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More families in Mackenzie have affordable, high-quality child care at a new centre, which will help lower child care expenses, reduce waiting lists, and help families balance work, school and home life.

“It’s exciting to see more child care spaces opening for families in Mackenzie,” said Rohini Arora, B.C.’s parliamentary secretary for child care. “These new spaces give parents peace of mind knowing their children are safe and cared for, allowing them to focus on their own professional and personal-development goals. Affordable, reliable child care is a game changer for communities and we’re proud to be delivering the type of care hard-working families need.”

Helping more Mackenzie families

The new Prince George School District Child Care Facility is at 32 Heather Cres. in Mackenzie. It has 12 licensed child care spaces for children younger than 36 months, 25 spaces for children between 30 months and school age, and 25 spaces for school-age children.

“These new child care spaces will help families in Mackenzie thrive,” said Anna Gainey, Canada’s Secretary of State for Children and Youth. “Centres like these make a real difference in the community and are helping build a future where affordable and quality child care is within reach for everyone.”

Working with community partners

• This much-needed facility was made possible through more than $6.2 million from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund.
• The fund is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding provided under the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
• British Columbia and the federal government signed an extension to the agreement for 2026-27 until 2030-31.
• Prince George School District is partnering with Inquiring Little Minds to operate the centre, providing professional, high-quality child care.

Creating more child care throughout B.C.

• Since 2018, ChildCareBC’s space-creation programs have delivered more child care for families:
  • more than 42,200 new licensed child care spaces funded in communities throughout B.C.
  • more than 27,700 of those child care spaces are now open and serving families
  • more than 910 new child care spaces in Mackenzie and surrounding area are now open

Funding new child care spaces is part of the Province’s ChildCareBC plan to build access to affordable, quality and inclusive child care, and one of the many ways government is working to reduce costs for families.

Quote:

Jameel Aziz, superintendent and CEO, Prince George School District (SD 57) –

“SD 57 is pleased to partner with the Ministry of Education and Child Care to provide new, state-of-the-art facilities in Mackenzie. We believe that this centre will offer Mackenzie long-term and sustainable child care that the community can rely upon in a well-placed setting. We look forward to working on the completion of other projects across our SD 57 region.”

Quick Facts:

• These 1,190 spaces for the Mackenzie area are part of 42,200 new child care spaces funded throughout B.C. since 2018. 
• ChildCareBC affordability programs are saving families throughout B.C. an average of $6,700 per year on child care fees at more than 170,000 spaces for children 12 and younger.
• Since 2018, ChildCareBC has kept more than $3 billion in the pockets of B.C. families.
• No matter which child care option parents choose, the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) provides direct, tax-free support, helping approximately 3.5 million families every year, including more than 450,000 families in B.C.
  • While families can use the benefit however they need, for many it significantly reduces the burden of child care expenses, cutting them entirely in some cases, with federal, provincial and territorial investments to reduce child care fees in the Canada-wide early learning and child care system.

Learn More:

• For more information about ChildCareBC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare
• For more information about the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, visit:
  https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories/british-columbia-canada-wide-2021.html