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Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives recently conducted its annual fee and wage survey of local childcare facilities.

Photo courtesy RCRG

Childcare top of mind for local families

By Don Fennell

Published 4:12 PDT, Wed August 4, 2021

Last Updated: 4:17 PDT, Wed August 4, 2021

As province moves toward universal model, Richmond works to keep adding spaces

Childcare or daycare. Whatever you call it, like this summer’s weather it’s a hot-button topic these days.

The idea of a universal childcare system, which B.C. continues to move towards, has been in place in Scandinavian countries like Finland for decades now.

The province is also hoping to expand $10-a-day childcare, and earlier last month issued a formal request for applications from licensed childcare providers wanting to give families childcare for $10 a day or less.

In its 2021 federal budget, the governing Liberal Party also noted its goal to bring fees for regulated childcare down to $10 per day on average within the next five years. By the end of 2022, it hopes to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in average fees for regulated early learning and childcare.

To support the vision, the 2021 budget proposed new investments totalling up to $30 billion over the next five years.

And then there is the issue of space. Enough space.

The City of Richmond currently owns 10 purpose-built childcare facilities throughout the community, and an additional childcare facility and two early childhood development hubs have been secured through rezoning processes and are currently under construction. These new facilities will add another 201 licensed childcare spaces to Richmond’s childcare supply within the next two years, increasing the number of childcare spaces in city-owned facilities to 585 spaces.

Coun. Linda McPhail feels the city is “a municipal leader” with its mandate, but adds “we know we cannot (address the ongoing needs) alone.”

“We need to continue to advocate to the provincial and federal governments to ensure quality, affordable

and accessible licensed childcare spaces are available to Richmond residents,” she says. “As well, we need to continue to work with private and non-profit organizations to create spaces.”

As a grandmother, McPhail knows the challenges her son and his wife faced to find affordable and quality childcare. And she adds some of her friends still provide daycare for their grandchildren because spaces could not be found.

Still, she says the city has explored the topic in depth and recognizes it is an “essential need” for working parents and those pursuing their education.

“A key goal of the city’s commitment to childcare is to promote the establishment and maintenance of a comprehensive childcare system,” she says.

Richmond’s Child Care Needs Assessment Strategy was released in 2017 to guide future childcare planning initiatives across the community. Short- and long-term actions were developed to support the development of a comprehensive childcare system in Richmond. McPhail points out that a need identified in the assessment was for additional planning and engagement to support the creation of additional childcare spaces. Currently, the demand for childcare in Richmond significantly exceeds the supply, with childcare spaces available for only 30 per cent of children.

“A key goal under Childcare BC is to implement $10-a-day childcare across the province," says Katrina Chen, B.C. Minister of State for Child Care. "We're adding nearly 4,000 new $10-a-day childcare spaces in communities across the province, and we're working with our federal counterparts to achieve the goal of inclusive, affordable, universal childcare for all."

Recently, Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives’ childcare resource and referral centre conducted its annual fee and wage survey of local childcare facilities. The centre provides nearly 400 childcare referrals each year, and throughout the year.