Families in North Vancouver will soon have access to 28 new licensed child care spaces.
The spaces are a result of a $250,000 investment through the Province’s Childcare BC New Spaces Fund.
“We are continuing to increase the number of quality, licensed child care spaces for families as part of our Childcare BC plan,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “This new facility in North Vancouver shows how organizations can reinvent existing spaces to create child care and help make life easier for local parents.”
The owners of Smiling Stars Daycare are renovating a commercial space in North Vancouver to create 28 new licensed child care spaces — 12 infant and toddler spaces, and 16 spaces for children aged 30 months to school age. The child care facility will provide kids with breakfast and hot lunches so they can participate in yoga, music and dance classes, field trips and educational visits from teachers. Staff will offer workshops for parents, with topics such as communication skills, dealing with aggression and handling difficult behaviour. Parents will also benefit from early-morning drop-offs and a monthly “date night,” in which the children can stay at the centre for dinner and be picked up as late as 8 p.m.
“We’re thrilled to be receiving support from the Province to build our new daycare in Edgemont Village,” said Moji Shabani, owner of Smiling Stars Daycare. “This funding will allow us to offer more young parents the benefits that our centre can provide. These include our in-house extra-curricular activities, which allow parents more free time with their children on nights and weekends.”
The facility will be fully accessible and a special needs educator will be available so staff can ensure all children will learn in an environment that is suited to their needs and abilities.
“Through our Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, we’re working with child care operators to ensure that families are able to access services that meet their individual needs,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Children and Family Development. “Smiling Stars will be able to give children and their parents access to a wide range of quality programs that will help make a difference in their lives.”
Smiling Stars Daycare expects construction on the new child care spaces to be completed in February 2019.
Under the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, child care providers can apply at any time throughout the year under a new continuous application process.
These new spaces are among the first to be announced under the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund. Since launching the program in July 2018, more than 1,000 new licensed child care spaces have been approved for funding. More new spaces will be announced for communities throughout B.C. as projects are approved.
The $221-million fund will support the creation of approximately 22,000 new licensed child care spaces over the next three years. This initiative is part of the B.C. government’s Childcare BC plan and supports its commitment to give B.C. families access to affordable, quality child care throughout the province.
Learn More:
For more about Childcare BC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare
To learn more about the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund and to apply, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/newspacesfund
To find child care in your community, view the online child care map: http://maps.gov.bc.ca/ess/hm/ccf/
Child care factsheet: https://news.gov.bc.ca/18430
For more information about Smiling Stars, visit: www.smilingstarsdaycare.com/