ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund – Canada

ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund is instrumental in creating thousands of new licensed child care spaces throughout B.C., improving access to child care for families who want affordable, quality care.

Priorities

• Child Care Types
  • The ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund prioritizes infant and toddler child care spaces, school age spaces and child care space in underserved regions. License types that serve infants and toddlers include Group Child Care (under 36 months) and Group Multi-Age Child Care.
• Community Focus
  • The ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund prioritizes projects that create as many spaces throughout the province as possible. The program also priorities:
    • Fully inclusive and accessible child care spaces that allow children of all abilities to participate meaningfully. For example: accessible physical design and application of program inclusion policy
    • Spaces with non-standard hours of care, such as: extended hours of care from 6 a.m. and after 7 p.m., weekend care, care provided on statutory holidays and/or care provided on days of school closures
    • Spaces offering specialized programming for children with support needs, Indigenous children and families, Francophone children, and/or young parents
    • Under the Major Capital Grants funding stream, projects that commence within 6 months of application and are scheduled to be completed prior to March 31, 2028
• Priority Populations
  • The ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund prioritizes space creation projects serving priority populations including:
    • Low-income families
    • Children with support needs
    • Indigenous children and families
    • Black and other children and families of colour
    • Francophone children
    • Families new to Canada
    • Young parents (25 years and under)

Grant Categories

• Major Capital Grants
  • Major capital projects apply for funding under the Major Capital Grant. The grant supports major projects by providing funding during the design and construction phases of a project.
  • These projects are ground-up builds, modular builds and major renovations, including expansions and additions, requesting more than $500,000.
  • Applicants must own the land on which the proposed child care centre will be built. Indigenous Governing Entities are exempt from this requirement.
  • For grant recipients who intend to secure an authorized operator to run the child care centre, the lease between parties must not be greater than fair-market rent.
  • Highlights of the Major Capital Grants include: 
    • Supporting Major Capital Projects in the design and construction phase to obtain Preliminary Designs, refine Project Costs and Project Budgets, and see the Project through to completion.
    • Supporting space creation projects that maximize the number of Child Care Spaces in Underserved Regions across BC.
    • Providing funding for long-term community investments run by Public Bodies, Indigenous Governing Entities, and Not-For-Profits.
    • Requiring the Applicant to own the land on which the proposed Child Care Centre and new Child Care Spaces will be created. Indigenous Governing Entities are exempt from this requirement.
    • Prioritizing space creation projects that expand access to infant/toddler and school-age care.
    • Supporting accessible and inclusive Child Care Centres that welcome children with diverse needs.
    • Streamlining Boards of Education capital project proposals through a single application point within the existing Capital Asset Planning System (CAPS). Project proposals from Boards of Education will continue to follow these funding guidelines.
• Minor Capital Funding Projects
  • Minor capital projects are renovations and equipment-only projects anticipated to be complete within one year, requesting up to $500,000. Applicants can own or lease the land on which the projects are being completed.
  • Grant recipients leasing child care centres will be required to share a copy of the executed lease or letter of intent to lease and must demonstrate an arm’s length relationship with the land owner.
  • Highlights of the Minor Capital Grants include:  
    • Supporting Minor Capital Projects that maximize the number of Child Care Spaces in Underserved Regions across BC.
    • Supporting Projects where the Applicant owns or leases the land on which the proposed Child Care Centre and new licensed Child Care Spaces will exist.
    • Providing funding for long-term community investments run by Public Bodies, Indigenous Governing Entities, and Not-For-Profits.
    • Prioritizing space creation projects that expand access to infant/toddler and school-age care.
    • Supporting accessible and inclusive Child Care Centres that welcome children with diverse needs.
    • Streamlining Boards of Education capital project proposals through a single application point within the existing Capital Asset Planning System (CAPS). Project proposals from Boards of Education will continue to follow these funding guidelines.

Eligibility Criteria

• The ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund helps to create, expand and relocate child care centres proposing to create new licensed child care spaces. The following applicants are eligible to apply.
  • Indigenous Governing Entities
  • Local governments
  • Public bodies including Health Authorities, Boards of Education, Public Post-Secondary institutions and Crown Corporations
  • Not-for-profits and Indigenous Not-for-profits
  • First Nations Schools
  • Other Eligible Independent Schools
• Funding is not available for occasional care, child minding, recreational care, preschool, family or in-home multi-age license types.
• Major Capital Grants
  • To be eligible to apply for the Major Capital Grants, the Applicant must:
    • Propose the creation of new licensed Child Care Spaces that are part of a Major Capital Project, such as ground-up builds, modular builds, and major renovations (i.e., building expansions and additions), requesting more than $500,000,
    • Own the land on which the proposed Child Care Centre and new Child Care Spaces will exist. Indigenous Governing Entities are exempt from this requirement.
    • Have no outstanding debt(s) owing to the ministry for which a province-approved payment plan(s) has/have not been established, or where the organization is not in breach of an established province approved payment plan,
    • Have a history of compliance under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and the Child Care Licensing Regulation (where applicable),
    • If a Not-For-Profit or Indigenous Not-For-Profit, be registered as a society under the Societies Act for a minimum of 4-years at the time of application and be in good standing with BC Registries, and
    • If an Other Eligible Independent Schools, have a history of compliance with the Independent School Act and hold a valid Independent School certification.
• Minor Capital Grants
  • To be eligible to apply for the Minor Capital Grants, the Applicant must:
    • Propose the creation of new licensed Child Care Spaces that are part of a Minor Capital Project, such as minor renovations, tenant improvements, and equipment-only projects requesting up to $500,000 in provincial funding and anticipated to be completed within 1 year (12 months) of entering into a New Spaces Fund Funding Agreement with the ministry,
    • Own or lease the space where the proposed Child Care Centre and new licensed Child Care Spaces will exist,
    • Have no outstanding debt(s) owing to the ministry for which a province-approved payment plan(s) has/have not been established, or where the organization is not in breach of an established province approved payment plan,
    • Have a history of compliance under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and the Child Care Licensing Regulation (where applicable),
    • If a Not-For-Profit or Indigenous Not-For-Profit, must be registered as a society under the Societies Act for a minimum of 1-year at time of application and be in good standing with the BC Registries,
    • If an Other Eligible Independent School, have a history of compliance with the Independent School Act and hold a valid Independent School certification, and
    • Applicants not directly operating the Child Care Operation should be in contract with a third-party Not-For-Profit child care provider (Authorized Operator) to operate the proposed Child Care Operation.

For more information, visit Government of British Columbia.