Communities throughout Vancouver Island will be seeing an influx of new before-and-after school child care spaces this school year.
Throughout all of BC, 12 municipalities had child care centres receive funding to add a total of 640 spaces for kids needing care.
Of those municipalities, five are located on Vancouver Island and will bring an additional 270 child care spaces to the communities these child care centres are located.
The Vancouver Island communities selected are: Nanaimo, Ucluelet, Tofino, Port Alberni and Victoria.
All new child care spaces on Vancouver Island were opened in collaboration with local school districts to help meet the needs of busy families with just one pickup and dropoff location.
Specifically, the new spaces will be opening as follows:
- Nanaimo:
Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District (SD68)
Georgia Avenue Elementary Learning and Child Care Centre – 52 spaces - Port Alberni:
Pacific Rim School District (SD70)
Magnolia School Age Care – 22 spaces - Tofino:
Pacific Rim School District (SD70)
?u?aa(t)uk ^Ta^na -Taking Care of Children – 76 spaces - Ucluelet:
Pacific Rim School District (SD70)
The Children’s Grove – 44 spaces - Victoria:
Greater Victoria School District (SD61)
Kids Klub Centre McKenzie school – 40 spaces
Victoria High Secondary school – 36 spaces
“As the new school year begins, hundreds of new licensed child care spaces on school grounds will make a real difference for families as they figure out their routines for the new school year,” said Lisa Beare, BC’s Minister of Education and Child Care.
“These spaces are the result of strong partnerships with school districts. Together, we’re supporting parents’ access to affordable, high-quality child care where and when they need it most – close to home, right at school and in familiar settings.”
These new spaces were made available through over $23.5 million in ChildCareBC New Spaces funding, which is jointly supported by the Province and the federal government.
“Together, we are creating hundreds of new child care spaces in schools across British Columbia,” said Anna Gainey, federal Secretary of State for Children and Youth.
“This investment will take hundreds of children off wait lists and save parents thousands of dollars in fees. When children have the best start in life, families thrive and all Canadians benefit.”
The Province says that since 2018, ChildCareBC’s space-creation programs have helped to fund more than 41,500 new licensed child care spaces in BC.
