August 28, 2025 Surrey, British Columbia Employment and Social Development Canada
Families across Canada rely on access to high-quality, affordable and inclusive child care. That is why the governments of Canada and British Columbia are working together to create more early learning and child care spaces to meet the needs of children and families no matter where they live.
Today, the Secretary of State for Children and Youth, the Honourable Anna Gainey, joined the Minister of Education and Child Care for British Columbia, the Honourable Lisa Beare, to announce the creation of 640 new licensed child care spaces on school grounds in 12 communities throughout the province.
These spaces are part of a broader effort to expand access to child care on school grounds and are supported by more than $23.5 million in ChildCareBC New Spaces funding, which is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. British Columbia and the federal government signed an extension to the Agreement from 2026-2027 to 2030-2031.
Since 2018, ChildCareBC's space-creation programs have helped fund more than 41,500 new licensed child care spaces in B.C, with 26,200 of these open and providing care for families.
The Government of Canada continues to work with provinces and territories to create more child care spaces, and work toward meeting the needs of families across Canada. As of August 2025, provinces and territories have announced measures to create more than 166,000 new affordable high-quality spaces, benefiting families of approximately 900,000 children across Canada, with some families saving thousands of dollars each year.
Building a Canada-wide early learning and child care system that works for families in every region of the country is a key part of the Government of Canada's plan to make life more affordable, support a strong workforce and grow the economy.
