Sunday October 19, 2025 | NORTH VANCOUVER, BC [Posted at 11:36 am]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Families in 14 communities throughout the province will benefit from more than 950 new licensed child care spaces that will open this fall, expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care.
That was officially announced on Friday by Education and Child Care (ECC) Minister Lisa Beare in North Vancouver, hosted by local MLA Susie Chant as emcee and accompanied for the announcement by federal MP Terry Beech (Burnaby-North Seymour). They addressed media from the Lynn Creek Child Care Centre.
“Helping more families gain access to affordable high quality child care that’s close to home,” is what child care centres are all about, said Beare in her opening remarks to media. “This is something families truly need,” said Beare.
[Note: the news release said over 900 spaces; Minister Beare said over 950 spaces; MP Terry Beech said 959 spaces.]
“These spaces mean shorter waitlists, more access to affordable, high-quality child care and peace of mind for parents, knowing children are learning in safe, supportive environments. This is about making life easier for parents today, while investing in stronger communities for generations to come,” she said.
She noted how parents are juggling child care with work and school “and how stressful it is to sit on long wait lists”, and how child care makes life everyday life easier for families and that communities are stronger when families have the support they need.
Oftentimes, local child care options mean that less commuting travel time is required of working parents.
Spaces created by non-profits, local governments:
Nearly $34 million in ChildCareBC New Spaces funding has been provided to non-profit organizations, local and Indigenous governments to create these new child care spaces.
“Non profits know their communities best,” said Beare. “And by working with them we’re able to create spaces that truly fit the needs of local families.”
Extension of federal funding:
The New Spaces Fund is supported by provincial and federal funding under the 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. British Columbia and the federal government signed an extension to the agreement for 2026-2027 until 2030-2031.
“Canada’s new government, in collaboration with the Government of British Columbia, is creating over 900 new licensed child care spaces across the province,” said Anna Gainey, Canada’s Secretary of State for Children and Youth. “These spots will ease financial pressure on families, allow more parents to choose to join the workforce and strengthen local economies by expanding access to high-quality early learning.”
These new spaces will provide greater access for families that have faced barriers to finding affordable, high-quality child care close to home, such as single parents, families with young children and those living in under-served areas.
Affordable Child Care Benefit:
Families who attend these centres will benefit from affordable child care fees, through the Province’s fee-reduction program, which reduces the cost of child care by as much as $900 per child, per month. Families that need additional support may be eligible for the Affordable Child Care Benefit, which can bring the cost down to $10 a day, or in some cases, eliminate fees altogether for families that need it most.
Beare said on Friday that the BC child care program has saved families up to $7,000 per year. She said that’s “less than half of what they would without these investments”.
Beare says that $3 billion has been put back into the pockets of more than 150,000 families across BC through child care programs. “And we are not done yet.”
Progress province-wide:
Since 2018, ChildCareBC’s space-creation programs have helped fund more than 41,500 new licensed child care spaces in B.C, with 26,200 of these (63.1%) open and providing care.
Lagtimes in the opening of child care spaces may have to do with premises availability and/or availability of trained staff. For the past few years, BC has been working to boost the wages for early childhood education (ECE) workers and to support the funding for their training.
Beare acknowledged in her October 17 remarks that “dedicated child providers, educators and staff who show up every single day to help children in BC thrive”. Beare noted that families rely on the child care sector professionals who she called “the heart beat of this system”.
National School Food Program:
Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu was in the Greater Victoria area on October 10 to locally announce Prime Minister Mark Carney’s National School Food Program announcement of earlier that day.
There was no provincial representative at Hajdu’s announcement last week, so Beare on October 17 took the opportunity to say that “in BC we have seen tremendous success with access to stigma-free food programs for kids through our Feeding Future Program”.
The food program funding preview has come ahead of the federal government’s budget coming out on November 4.
BC launched its Feeding Futures school food program a few years ago.
Remarks from Terry Beech, MP:
“None of this happens unless we work together,” said Member of Parliament Terry Beech at the event in North Vancouver on Friday.
He acknowledged the Parkgate Society that operates the Lynn Park Child Care Centre, and ECE workers.
Beech acknowledged BC MLA Rohini Arora (Burnaby East) from his riding, for attending at the event in North Vancouver on Friday.
Beech wove in the societal economic factor of child care, noting that Boards of Trade and Chambers of Commerce say “how good these programs are for our economy”.
“We have record participation in our workforce, especially among women,” said Beech. Additional 250,000 spaces by March 2026; now at 191,000 spaces as of now across Canada.
That’s 959 in the announcement here in the BC, and in North Vancouver that’s an extra 37 spaces. There’s an additional 74 spaces coming on board in Burnaby.
Beech — who with his wife is the father of two young children — said that child care is “life changing” in the context of affordability.
He also mentioned the National School Food Program as saving families up to $800 a year as well as reducing meal preparation time.
The benefits combined are for families today, but Beech noted that “the real benefit, the long-term generational benefit, is to our children — because they’re going to be better fed, have better nutrition… with benefits as they move onto elementary and high school and university and being productive members of our workforce”.
How our preparing our next generation of kids for success in an economy where we are literally competiting against the world.
He acknowledged the commitment of ECE workers to come to work “on those hard days”… “your impact goes so far beyond this room that it is immeasurable and impossible for us to state how beneficial that contribution is”, said MP Terry Beech in expressing his gratitude.
Local:
During the October 17 announcement, President of the Parkgate Society, Shaun Wysiecki, acknowledged the District of North Vancouver and the North Van Rec Commission and other funders and partners for helping to launch the new child care spaces.
“The impact of having these new spaces means everything. It gives parents the confidence to work or study and give back to the community, knowing our children are cared for and nurtured,” said Wysiecki.
Locations of the 959 child care spaces opening in BC this fall:
The additional 959 child care spaces that have opened or will be opening this fall are in these 14 BC communities:
Mainland:
- Burnaby – Rowan Avenue child care; 74 spaces (24 spaces for infant-toddler spaces, 50 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten)
- Douglas First Nation (Xa’xtsa) – Tipella child care centre; 46 spaces (30 spaces for school aged care, 16 multi-age spaces)
- Kelowna – Dilworth Mountain YMCA child care; 48 school aged spaces
- Langley – Cookie Monster preschool; 72 spaces (10 spaces for infant-toddlers, 14 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten, 48 school-age spaces)
- Maple Ridge – Under the Tree Family Education and Support child care centre; 110 spaces (24 spaces for infant-toddlers, 38 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten, 48 school-age spaces)
- Merritt – Family Place; 76 spaces spaces (24 spaces for infant-toddlers, 36 school-age spaces, 16 multi-age spaces)
- North Vancouver – Lynn Creek child care; 37 spaces (12 spaces for infant-toddlers, 25 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten)
- Skatin – Síitot child care; 26 spaces (10 spaces for infant-toddlers, 16 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten)
- Sorrento – The Muddy Children’s Society; 56 spaces (24 school-age spaces, 32 multi-age spaces)
- Surrey – Smilestones Learning Society; 60 spaces (24 spaces for infant-toddlers, 36 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten)
Surrey Sport and Leisure; 20 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten - Vancouver – Westside Montessori academy; 32 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten
Vancouver Island:
- Courtenay – Puddleduck child care centre; 31 spaces (15 spaces for infant-toddler, 16 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten spaces)
- Sooke – Choo Choo, Let’s Go! child care centre; 37 spaces (12 spaces for infant-toddlers, 25 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten)
- Victoria – Burnside child care centre; 59 spaces (12 spaces for infant-toddlers, 25 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten, 22 preschool spaces) | Next Level child care society; 175 spaces (60 spaces for infant-toddlers, 75 spaces for 30 months to kindergarten, 40 school-age care spaces)
===== RELATED:
- National School Food Program celebrated by Jobs & Families Minister Hajdu in Saanich (October 10, 2025)
- BC school food program gets $39.4 million in federal funding (March 10, 2025)
- Liberals deliver on NDP push for national school food program in Budget 2024 (April 1, 2024)
- Feeding Futures funding expands school food programs in BC (April 5, 2023)
- NEWS SECTIONS: CHILD CARE | FOOD SECURITY