The City of Terrace was successful in securing almost $400,000 in government funding for new child care spaces through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund. This fund is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding provided through the 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
To support increased access to early learning and child care, the City of Terrace is creating 30 spaces for before- and after-school care for school-aged children. This program aims to meet one of the key needs identified in the Child Care Needs Assessment and Action Plan conducted for the City of Terrace in 2020—unmet demand for licensed child care spaces.
“We are pleased to be able to provide a new service for Terrace that existing local child care providers as well as many community members have identified as a priority. We are extremely grateful for the funding from the province to get this program up and running,” said City of Terrace Mayor Sean Bujtas.
“This program is a great example of federal and provincial funding working in tandem to support a wider range of child care opportunities for families across Canada,” added Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development Jenna Sudds. “Through the Canada-wide early learning and child care system, the Government of Canada is working with our provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners to increase access to high-quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive early learning and child care.”
City staff have been working with an Early Childhood Education Specialist and a design consultant to develop the licensed program and space for child care within the existing facilities. The renovated multipurpose room, a 1,480 square-foot space, will include a foods (eating and cooking) area; play space for active, dramatic, quiet, and construction play; science exploration; music; art; and a quiet zone. Renovations also include a storage area for children’s belongings and equipment storage. The existing adjacent bathrooms were reviewed to ensure accessibility for children.
“The inclusion of all these interest areas will provide a functional and stimulating environment that allows all children to engage in meaningful ways. We are also able to use the facilities we already have available nearby, including the ice rinks, aquatic centre, library, skate park, pump track, trails, and playgrounds, to ensure a diverse range of recreational programing that appeals to and addresses the needs of school-aged children,” said Linda Stevens, Social Development Program Coordinator for the City of Terrace.
“Congratulations to the City of Terrace on this important step to create more school-aged child care spaces that will benefit children, families, and our local economy,” said Nathan Cullen, MLA, Stikine. “We are working with communities throughout BC to build accessible, affordable, quality child care spaces where people want and need them most.”
The City is currently hiring Child Care Providers (responsible adults) to staff the child care program. More information on accessing this program is available online on the City of Terrace website at terrace.ca/childcare.