Even more B.C. parents will have access to child care as the Province marks the latest milestone in its popular Childcare BC plan with funding for more than 13,000 new spaces since July 2018.
“Our government has embarked on the biggest child care space creation program in B.C.’s history,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. “In just over 18 months, we have, on average, funded almost 700 new spaces per month because families have been waiting too long for access to licensed child care. We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response from providers, large and small, wanting to work with us to support families as part of our Childcare BC plan.”
Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care, announced the new spaces at the celebration for the latest achievement in Burnaby. The majority of Burnaby’s 682 newly approved spaces are the result of a partnership between the Burnaby School District and the City of Burnaby.
“These new spaces are being created through the collective strengths of our partners,” said Chen. “The City of Burnaby and the Burnaby School District have been among the first to step up and work with the Province to deliver hundreds of spaces at a time. It’s this kind of critical mass we want to see more of for all communities, and recent proposed changes to the School Act are designed to make it easier for school boards to operate before- and after-school spaces.”
Changes to the School Act will also allow school boards to prioritize available space and create programs based on the unique needs of their community, as well as require them to create an inclusive child care policy.
“Safe, affordable, licensed care gives parents and guardians the peace of mind they need to go to work or school – knowing they have quality care they can rely on close to home,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “Our government is paving the way to ensure more child care is offered on school grounds, giving Burnaby families more supports and services.”
The Burnaby School District is partnering with the Province and the City of Burnaby to create 601 new spaces at eight different locations on school district property, with six located on elementary school properties. Operators will provide inclusive environments for children, including serving those with extra-support needs, as well as vulnerable populations, Indigenous communities and families who are new to Canada.
“There is no better investment a government can make than investing in our children,” said Stace Dayment, a Burnaby parent. “This is a historic and positive change. I am excited for the families of our community to finally have this essential service.”
In addition, Doxa Education Group is creating 81 new spaces in Burnaby.
The new spaces are part of the fastest provincewide creation of child care spaces in B.C.’s history. An additional 4,100 spaces, funded through the 2017 Budget Update and the Early Learning and Child Care agreement with the Government of Canada, bring the total to more than 17,000 spaces since July 2017.
Since launching in February 2018, the Childcare BC plan has helped parents save up to $1,600 a month per child, for a total of more than $400 million going to families through the Affordable Child Care Benefit and Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative. Through these programs, almost 29,000 children have received child care for no more than $10 a day.
“Expanding access to public child care and early childhood education spaces has been foundational to this minority government,” said Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley. “Aligning early childhood care and learning with our existing schools, in particular, has been a wonderful way to further invest in our public education system and create healthier communities.”
Investing in child care and early childhood education is a shared priority between government and the BC Green Party caucus, and is part of the Confidence and Supply Agreement.