Access to child care is an important support for families and school communities. As communities grow and family needs change, the type of child care that is most needed can also change over time. The Richmond School District regularly monitors enrolment and works with child care providers, schools and families to understand how available spaces are being used and where demand is greatest. This helps ensure services continue to respond to changing community needs.
Since 2023, nine purpose-built child care facilities have opened at district sites with support from the Ministry of Education and Child Care, including through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund. These facilities have expanded access to licensed child care on school grounds across the district.
The district works in partnership with independent child care providers to deliver programs in these facilities. Providers bring the staff, programming and expertise needed to operate licensed child care, while the district provides the space and supports access to services on school grounds.
The purpose-built child care facility at Manoah Steves Elementary opened in 2023, and William Bridge Elementary followed in 2024. Since then, the district and child care providers have closely monitored enrolment and how families are using the available spaces. This has helped identify how child care needs at both locations are changing.
At both schools, enrolment in the full-day programs for children aged 30 months to school age has remained too low for providers to sustain the programs. At the same time, demand for before- and after-school care remains strong.
In response, the district worked with the child care providers, the schools and the Ministry to determine how the facilities could better meet the needs of families in these communities. This review identified an opportunity to increase access to before and after school care while ensuring the programs remain sustainable for providers.
The Ministry has approved changes to the funding agreements for both locations. Spaces currently used for full-day care for younger children will transition to before- and after-school care.
Together, the two locations will provide a total of 99 before- and after-school child care spaces. This will give more families access to care before classes begin and after the school day ends, when demand is strongest.
The district will continue to work closely with families, child care providers and schools throughout the transition, and remains committed to monitoring community needs and working with our partners to ensure child care services continue to respond to the families they serve.
Families with questions can contact their school principal for more information.