More spaces will soon be available at residential daycares in Squamish.
The rezoning of the bylaw to allow residential daycares to take 16 children rather than eight passed third reading Tuesday night at the regular council meeting.
Earlier in the night there had been a public hearing on the issue. Andrea Zander, owner of Everyday Magic Children’s Center in Valleycliffe, spoke in support of the change.
“We have a lot of children in our community,” she said, adding that she would like to expand her own business to take more children. She said 80 per cent of families her business had polled said they were unhappy with the availability of Squamish daycare spaces.
Many families are on waitlists for several daycares, she said, and some take their children out of the community to daycares in Vancouver because there are not enough spaces for all the children in Squamish.
Provincial licensing childcare regulations allow up to 16 children.
Councillor Susan Chappelle, who has championed the change, agreed it was a move that was long overdue in Squamish.
“We are in desperate need of incentives for child care. This will make it easier for daycares to open in neighbourhoods, finally,” Chappelle told The Squamish Chief. She also said that the change will allow more people to walk their children to their local daycare, increasing the district’s walkability.
The amount of parking spaces required for a childcare facility in Squamish was also reduced.
This article has been modified since it was first published.
