The provincial government has announced major funding for childcare spots across the province, including some new space in the Garibaldi Highlands.
In total, the province will provide $366,849 to the Sea to Sky Community Services Society for new childcare spaces at Garibaldi Highlands Elementary School.
The funding will help the non-profit design and install a new portable that will allow 44 new childcare spaces on the school grounds of the elementary school.
The government says 20 of the spaces will be for preschoolers, while 24 spaces will be created for school-age children.
The new spaces will help "children smoothly transition from early years programs, to the classroom, to after-school care" according to a release from the society.
"It will help us bring much-needed program services back to Garibaldi Highlands in a brand new portable," said the society's executive director Lois Wynne in a statement.
Last Monday's announcement for the Highlands is part of a larger, $33-million investment across the province. In total, 3,806 new child-care spaces will be created.
The purpose of the funds is to allow care providers to expand facilities by building or buying land, renovating existing buildings, buy equipment or purchase portables.
"Too many B.C. families are struggling to find childcare. These new spaces will offer relief and hope to parents," said Minister of Children and Family Development Katrine Conroy in a statement.
The government says more than half of the spaces will be delivered by non-profit organizations, and 20 per cent delivered by Indigenous child-care providers.
The Squamish Nation Ayas Men Men Child and Family Services in North Vancouver has received funding for $500,000 to create 40 new spaces.
No additional funding was announced for downtown Squamish or other local neighbourhoods.
Not surprisingly, the largest individual investments were concentrated in larger urban centres. Victoria will receive $3.7-million, Vancouver will receive $3-million, Survey $1.7-million and Prince George $1.1-million.
In April, Lisa McIntosh, child care resource and referral consultant with Sea to Sky Community Services, said finding childcare for children between the ages of 12 months to three years old has reached "a state of crisis" in Squamish.
According to the District's draft Official Community Plan, in June 2016 the total supply of child care spaces in Squamish was 779.
That factors out to one in five spaces for children under 15, and slightly more than one in four spaces for children under 10.
In the OCP, priorities for district staff include efforts to "lobby senior governments and work with community partners to leverage greater funding for early learning and development, and development of a high quality, affordable and accessible childcare system."
The document also addresses the current lack of available space and the high cost of care for children under 26 months.
