Parents across B.C. will have access to 3,806 new licensed childcare spaces over the next two years, Children and Family Development Minister Katrine Conroy has announced.
Speaking in Vancouver on Monday, Conroy said the new spaces would be split among 52 communities and cost the province $33 million.
This $33 million is already in the 2017/18 budget and was included in the September budget update.
Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen says new licensed childcare spaces will give parents peace of mind but says province knows it鈥檚 not enough. Will be announcing new process to create childcare spaces next year #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/J6Iozd8NQ0
鈥� Kat Slepian (@katslepian) December 4, 2017
鈥淭his money will create 900 new childcare spaces for infants and toddlers,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his announcement will be providing over 500 licensed childcare spaces for Indigenous kids.鈥�
The province will focus on creating 1,153 spaces on school grounds, co-locating them in community hubs and will work to ensure that they are inclusive for children with disabilities.
Of the 103 new projects, 61 will be new buildings and 42 will be renovations.
But aside from that, the announcement didn鈥檛 come with many other specifics.
Conroy deferred to her government鈥檚 upcoming February budget when asked how much it would cost parents to send their kids to the new daycares, or when parents could expect to see $10-a-day childcare, as promised by the NDP during the election.
READ: NDP鈥檚 signature child care promise put off
READ: Affordable daycare left out of NDP budget disappoints advocate
Minister of State for Children Katrina Chen couldn鈥檛 say how many parents would still be waitlisted for childcare after the 3,800 new spaces were built.
Said Conroy: 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a system in the province鈥� it鈥檚 not like healthcare. So we need a system so we can get that [waitlist] done,鈥� said Conroy.
The new spaces will be created in:
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