More daycare spaces could be on the way for Vancouver families.
The provincial government Tuesday afternoon announced $33 million in funding for licensed child-care spaces in the province, with $3.46 million earmarked for Vancouver. The funding will create a total of 453 new licensed child-care spaces in the city, including 132 for children under 3 and 205 for children between the ages of 3 and 5.
“Too many families are struggling to find child care,” Katrina Chen, minister of state for child care, said in a press release.
“We are speeding up the creation of new child-care spaces to address years of pent-up demand for child care,” she said. “Our February budget will show our long-term commitment to building a system of accessible, affordable and quality child care for families across the province.”
The funding can be accessed by child-care providers to build new facilities, purchase and build a modular building and develop a site, renovate an existing building, and buy eligible equipment and furnishings to support new child-care spaces in an existing facility.
The government is in the process of working with child-care providers to establish funding agreements, and while timelines will differ from project to project, construction and renovations for the majority of approved projects are expected to begin soon.
“The Provincial Child Care Council is working closely with the ministry to guide them towards improving access to child care,” said Wayne Robertson, council chair. “Council members are energized by the new focus on fixing the child-care crisis and I think that the future is looking brighter for B.C. parents.”
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