Families in 22 school districts will soon have access to approximately 1,200 new licensed before- and after-school child care spaces, created by repurposing existing space in schools.

“Before and after school can be a hectic time for parents and caregivers. By creating more child care on school grounds, we are giving more families access to convenient, high-quality child care, in places they already know and trust,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care and acting Minister of Infrastructure. “Empowering school districts to repurpose existing child-centred spaces for before- and after-school care is another important piece of a child care system that works for families, kids and communities.”

The new spaces are funded through $5 million in child care capital funding from the Ministry of Infrastructure to support renovations and the repurposing of existing space in school buildings to create new child care spaces. Twenty-two school districts are receiving a share of the investment to create approximately 1,200 new before- and after-school child care spaces, which are expected to open in the next year. These new spaces will provide greater access for families that have faced barriers to finding affordable, high-quality child care close to home.

In addition to capital funding, school districts are receiving support through the Ministry of Education and Child Care to help establish and operate the new programs, including $20 million to support operating costs in the next three years.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care has also invested $2 million to help cover startup costs for successful minor capital projects, such as staff training and the purchase of small equipment and toys. This startup funding builds on work to remove the barriers school districts and operators have identified when creating spaces on school grounds. In the fall of 2025, government passed the School Amendment Act, legislation to further empower school boards to operate child care programs.

School districts will also have access to a $2.9-million provincial investment to create board-operated school-age care programs on school grounds. Funding applications will open this fall, with support available for startup costs, minor capital improvements and early operating expenses to help create new spaces over the next two years.

Families that attend the programs created through these initiatives will benefit from affordable child care fees through the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative. This program reduces the cost of child care by as much as $320 per child per month for school-age care.

Families that need additional support with the cost of child care may be eligible for the Affordable Child Care Benefit, which can provide additional assistance to further reduce child care costs for those most in need.

Leanne Lee, board chair, Nanaimo Ladysmith Public School District said, “Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools has benefited greatly from provincial support to grow our school-based childcare from five to 12 programs across our district and to nearly 500 spaces. Investing in before- and after-school child care at schools helps parents and caregivers balance work and family responsibilities and creates more opportunities in our schools for children to belong, grow and thrive.”