Surrey – On Wednesday, the Minister of State for Child Care, Honourable Katrina Chen announced that building more infant and toddler spaces in Surrey is a priority under Childcare BC.
Five organizations – Creative Moments Child Care, Hope Valley Childcare Centre, Pebble Lane Early Learning, Satnam Education Society of British Columbia and Simply Kids Childcare Centre — are receiving funding to support the creation of 156 new licensed child care spaces at seven facilities in Surrey. Of the 156 new spaces, 90 are for infants and toddlers, 58 are for children aged 30 months to school age, two are preschool spaces and six are spaces for school-age children. Four of these projects will expand existing locations, while three will create new child care facilities.
“Affordability and accessibility to quality childcare spaces are necessary for employees to be able to perform at peak productivity, confident in the knowledge that their children are cared for in a safe, learning environment. Household expenditures are necessary for a vibrant local business community. With the appropriate investment by the provincial government to encourage the development of more spaces, the return on investment is a richer economic environment for families and communities,” said Anita Huberman, CEO Surrey Board of Trade.
As a member of Surrey’s Childcare Task Force, the Surrey Board of Trade will continue to monitor and ask for action in the following areas:
1. Invest in local child care resources and support services to families, child care providers, and employers through additional funding to meet growth needs and develop an immediate space creation plan for the non-profit sector. Surrey is still catching up as our population continues to grow.
2. Invest in local Early Childhood Education training spaces in partnership with high quality public educational providers in Surrey
3. Invest in increased Fraser Health Authority quality control licensing resources to facilitate and keep up with growth in child care licensing applications and support regulatory functions to mitigate pressures on child care quality and reduce risks to children in child care
4. Develop a universal child care system to increase affordability, quality, accessibility and comprehensiveness of child care services for B.C. children and families. Furthermore, consult with and invest in child care that addresses the needs of Aboriginal children and families.
“The Surrey Board of Trade has advocated for enhanced childcare as part of our Social Policy Team’s mandate since 2006.”
