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More than 300 child care spaces opening in Greater Victoria in next two years

Province announces spaces in Victoria, Sooke, Saanich and North Saanich
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Hundreds of child care spaces will be available in Greater Victoria in the coming two years. (Unsplash)

More than 300 new licensed childcare spaces will be available across Greater Victoria in the next two years.

The Ministry of Child and Family Development announced Tuesday that 340 new spaces have been created as part of an effort to improve access to child care during the pandemic and beyond.

The spaces will be available in Victoria (210 spaces), North Saanich (56 spaces), Sooke (62 spaces) and Tahsis (eight spaces).

“These new child care spaces for families on Vancouver Island are bringing us one step closer to delivering the quality, affordable and inclusive child care that all B.C. families deserve,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “Child care for families is key to B.C.’s economic recovery, and these new spaces will make it easier for parents, especially mothers who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, to return to work or school.”

READ ALSO: Victoria lacks more than 4,200 child care spaces within city: report

Of the new Victoria child care spaces, 36 will be at the new Crosstown Daycare Program, set to open in January 2023 and 44 will be available at Sundance Elementary Daycare, opening in January 2022.

Kids Klub Centre Lake Hill will offer 40 new spaces at Lake Hill Elementary when the daycare opens in July 2022 and Kids Klub Centre McKenzie – opening in July 2022 at McKenzie Elementary – will provide another 40.

In January 2022, Hillcrest Elementary Out of School Care and Ready Set Grow will provide 50 new child care spaces.

In May 2021 Homey Land Daycare will open in Sooke, providing 25 spaces and the Choo Choo, Let’s Go! Childcare Centre is expanding, opening up 37 new spaces in May 2022.

On the Saanich Peninsula, Tseycum Childcare Centre will open in December and provide 56 new spaces.

More than 24,500 spaces have been funded in B.C. since July, 2017, including 1,630 in Greater Victoria, 84 in Sooke and 213 in North Saanich.

READ ALSO: Pilot project for $10 daycare extended to April 2021


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