25K for Prince Rupert as Child care assessments to be focus for provincial funding announced for Northwest today

Minister Katrina Chen
announced provincial funding for
child care planning today

As the province of British Columbia looks to expand on its Child Care planning and the path ahead to deliver it they are distributing three million dollars in funding for communities through the Community Child Care Planning program.

The program which was announced in September of 2018 is a shared initiative between the Province and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care outline the scope of the program his morning:

“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,. 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 delivery of the new Child Care initiative comes as a two pronged approach:

For Indigenous communities, the ministry is investing $3.6 million over three years to support 11 new early learning and child care planning and navigator positions to help address the specific needs of Indigenous children, families and communities throughout the province. 

Under Childcare BC, the Province is investing more than $1.3 billion in child care to lay the foundation for a universal child care system. Investments in new licensed child care spaces address the Province’s commitment to making child care more accessible and complement its goals of improving supports for child care professionals and working with the sector to make child care more affordable for B.C. families.

For the City of Prince Rupert that means that 25,000 dollars will be made available for use locally to develop the assessment program and create a long term action plan to provide access for child care services.

Mayor Lee Brain outlined the city's focus for the program back in December of 2018, noting how the grant opportunity would allow the city to bring in a consultant to work with community groups in the community.

Terrace was the only other Northwest community to be allocated money in today's announcement, with that community also set to receive 25,000 dollars towards their own assessment program

On Haida Gwaii, Masset and Queen Charlotte both will receive $23,750 for their own planning.

The full list for all of the communities to receive funding today is available here.

You can review the full scope of today's announcement here.

Some further notes related to Child Care in the province can be explored here.

For a look at more from the BC Legislature see our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.