Creating more child care spaces
Last updated on March 5, 2024The ChildCareBC Vision is for child care space to be available for all families who want or need it.
Five things you need to know about...
Space Creation:
- The expansion of child care space in B.C. will ensure that parents have access to child care options in their community when they need it.
- Capital funding for new child care centres will be available to not-for-profit, public, Indigenous, and home-based providers.
- Once established, the network of regional supports, together with provincial data, will help determine where additional child care spaces are most needed and inform future space creation investments.
- School districts are encouraged to help meet the demand for more before- and after-school care, though they are not required to do so under the School Act.
- Where possible, school districts are encouraged to partner with a third party to create and operate 0-5 licensed child care spaces as well.
Engagements
Please visit the Early Learning and Child Care Engagement homepage for information about past engagements and where you can subscribe to be notified of future opportunities.
Frequently asked questions
Why are you creating more spaces when there are not enough ECEs to staff them?
- ECE Recruitment and Retention is a significant issue in the child care sector
- Parents want access to a range of child care types and that there are not enough spaces in B.C. currently for the families that need them
- The numbers of qualified ECEs are increasing, but there is still a shortfall and high turnover rate
- Government must expand the number of qualified ECEs within the sector to accommodate system expansion
- Both goals are important and must be addressed in tandem - more spaces and more ECEs to staff the spaces
- Creating spaces takes time, so it is important that we work towards both goals simultaneously to ensure creating spaces in the areas of greatest need and qualified staff to operate them