West Shore Parks and Recreation has received a grant toward converting existing space at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre into child-care spaces. (Google Maps)
The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) has awarded a $1 million grant to help West Shore Parks and Recreation convert existing facility space at the Juan de Fuce Recreation Centre into new licenced child-care spaces.
The funding comes from the UBCM’s Community Child Care Space Creation Program. The program, funded under the Canada-British Columbia Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, will provide $13.7 million to fund the creation of new licensed child care spaces in local government-owned facilities.
According to officials, the $1 million in funding will go toward 24 new full-time licenced daycare spaces and 20 new full-time preschool spaces for children 30 months to school age to already existing programs at the recreation centre.
“This funding will be welcome news for the growing number of West Shore families on waitlists for child-care programs in our community,” Geoff Welham, acting manager of West Shore
Parks and Recreation, said in a statement.
Welham said the new spaces will mean an increase of accessible childcare to more than 120 West Shore families each year.
West Shore Parks and Recreation owns and operates the 250,000 square-foot recreation centre.
The group is also applying for additional funding through the Ministry of Children and Family Development Childcare BC New Spaces Fund. The outcome of that application will determine how the child-care space project will proceed.
No timelines for project completion have been set yet.
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