VICTORIA B次元官网网址� Parents in the Gordon Head and Central Saanich areas of Greater Victoria will soon have access to 177 new, licensed child-care spaces.

B次元官网网址淕reater Victoria is receiving the most funding for new child-care spaces of any B.C. community, with the majority of those being built on school grounds,B次元官网网址� said Minister of Children and Family Development Katrine Conroy .

B次元官网网址淭his means that parents will be able to drop their school-aged children and younger ones off at one location; it will also allow the younger children to have a smoother transition as they move from child-care, to the classroom, to after-school programs.B次元官网网址�

The Province is investing nearly $1.6 million for four projects in Gordon Head and Central Saanich. This includes:

B次元官网网址� $500,000 for the University of Victoria Child Care Services to create 32 spaces for children aged three to five years at Child Care Complex B.

B次元官网网址� $450,000 for the Keating Out-of-School Care Society to create 65 school-age spaces.

B次元官网网址� $387,000 for the Goosey Gander Kindergarten Association to create 60 spaces B次元官网网址� 12 spaces for children aged three to five years, 48 school-age spaces B次元官网网址� at Arbutus Grove Nature Program & Out of School Care.

B次元官网网址� $219,137 for the Vancouver Island Kids Klub Centre Society to create 20 school-aged spaces in a portable at Torquay Elementary school.

B次元官网网址淭hese projects will help support parents in Victoria who have been waiting for licensed child-care spaces,B次元官网网址� said Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen. B次元官网网址淪peeding up the creation of new child-care spaces is one step in the B.C. governmentB次元官网网址檚 long-term commitment to building a system of accessible, affordable and quality child care for families across the province.B次元官网网址�

In a statement posted on their website, Keating Out-of-School Care Society Program Manager Rachel Yukich stated the funding will be used to relocate existing portables B次元官网网址渢o make more efficient use of available space.B次元官网网址�

Keating Out-of-School Care Society is a licences, not-for-profit child care facility, in operation since 1993.

A new modular building will also be built on the grounds of Keating Elementary School B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址渢o accommodate the growing demand for care that we have seen over the past several years.B次元官网网址�

These new child-care spaces are part of the ProvinceB次元官网网址檚 $33-million investment in child care major capital funding that will support more than 3,800 new child-care spaces in 52 communities throughout British Columbia.

The Province is now in the process of working with the successful proponents to establish project agreements, which include the specific requirements providers have identified for each site, such as the need to lease or buy property, obtain local zoning permits and hire contractors to renovate the sites.

Construction and renovations for the majority of the approved projects are expected to begin shortly; however, each siteB次元官网网址檚 timelines for completion will differ depending on their individual proposal requirements.

B次元官网网址� Province of B.C./Keating Out-of-School Care Society