NORTH VANCOUVER – Finding quality child care will soon be a little easier for parents on the North Shore. New Democrat MLA Bowinn Ma is celebrating a child care milestone in North Vancouver: the funding of 461 new licensed child care spaces at 7 different sites across North Vancouver over the past year. These spaces are funded through the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, which first launched in July 2018.

“For far too long families across the North Shore have struggled to find affordable, accessible, high-quality child care,” said MLA Ma. “Through the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, we’re delivering much-needed relief while supporting centres that create fun, safe, and educational environments for our children.”

Child care providers can apply to the fund to create new child care spaces at any time throughout the year under a continuous application process.

MLA Ma toured Harbourside Children’s Centre earlier today, met with staff, and read a book with the children on-site.

Harbourside Children’s Centre received over $200,000 to renovate a commercial space so that it could add 24 new child care spaces. The renovation will adhere to the organization’s existing Accessibility Policy and be fully accessible to children of all support needs. Additionally, the facility offers internal subsidies for families at the centre in need of additional support.

MLA Ma said that the BC New Democrat government is committed to delivering increased access to affordable, high-quality child care where and when families need it. Since July 2018, the Province has funded over 10,000 new licensed child care spaces through Childcare BC.

Learn More:

For more about Childcare BC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare

To find child care in your community, view the online child care map: http://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/ccf/