CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

More child care spaces coming for Barriere

Barriere Star Journal - 6/4/2021

More parents in the Thompson, Cariboo and Shuswap regions will be able to return to work, go back to school or pursue other opportunities as the Province invests in more than 140 new licensed child care spaces. Part of that investment will be helping parents in the community of Barriere.

The Province is supporting three projects to create 144 new licensed child care spaces in Kamloops (112 spaces), Barriere (24 spaces) and Lillooet (eight spaces).

The additional child care in Barriere is part of a Yellowhead Community Services Society (YCS) project that will create a Yellowhead Child Care Centre in a new affordable housing complex within the community of Barriere, with support from the District of Barriere. The projected opening of the new centre is estimated to be in the fall of 2022.

"Yellowhead Community Services is excited to be able to create additional, purpose-built child care spaces in our community," said Susanne Butcher, chief operating officer, Yellowhead Community Services Society. "We hope that our centre will feel like a home away from home for our children and their families."

The Yellowhead Child Care Centre will be able to offer 24 new licensed child care spaces, including eight infant/toddler spaces and 16 spaces for children aged three years to kindergarten.

The facility will also have a garden to grow fruits and vegetables which will be used for snacks or provided to families.

"As we enter the fourth year of our 10-year Childcare BC plan, thousands of families are already feeling the life-changing impact of having affordable, quality and inclusive child care," said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. "As we continue to build towards an inclusive universal child care system, these new spaces will make it easier for parents, especially mothers, to pursue their own goals, while also being part of B.C.'s economic recovery."

Since July of 2018, almost 26,000 new licensed child care spaces have been funded in British Columbia, including 84 in Barriere, and 621 in Kamloops.

The Childcare BC plan has helped parents save up to $1,600 a month, per child, for a total of over $770 million through the Affordable Child Care Benefit and Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative.