The City of Burnaby is receiving $25,000 conduct an assessment of the community’s child-care needs from now through 2029.
“This will help our community identify what local families will need in the coming years,” Burnaby North MLA Janet Routledge told the NOW.
Local governments will use their grants to create an inventory of existing child care spaces, identify how many child-care spaces are needed now and how many will be needed over the coming years, as well as the type of child care that is needed. They will then draft an action plan to create these spaces and work with their school districts, local health authorities, Indigenous partners and other key child care stakeholders to build these plans. This information will be shared with the Ministry of Children and Family Development to help inform future provincial child care investments.
More than 70 local governments applied for up to $25,000 each to plan for the long-term child care needs of families in their communities, with some governments choosing to work collaboratively with nearby communities.
"We can't solve the child care shortage on our own. Municipalities know the needs of families in their communities, and this insight will make sure that child care investments are strategic and new spaces are created where they are most needed," said Burnaby MLA Katrina Chen, minister of state for child care, in a news release. "We know that when families have access to affordable, quality child care spaces where they live, it is good for our communities. Local businesses thrive and families have more stability."
The funding comes from the Community Child Care Planning Program, and is the first step in a $3-million partnership launched in September 2018 between the Province and the Union of British Columbia Muncipalities (UBCM).
