Child Care

Child Care in BC

In BC, child care initiatives are led by the Ministry of Education and Child Care. In 2018, the provincial government launched ChildCareBC. This program is created to better support BC’s working families with more affordable access to quality child care spaces.

Although child care in BC is the responsibility of senior government, the City of Surrey and its leaders have always understood the crucial role it plays in the healthy development of our communities, and they continue to take action.

Our Commitment to Child Care

Our commitment to prioritizing child care support services has helped to establish Surrey as a leading family-friendly municipality. We have been able to expand child care programs and services in Surrey by working with community and senior government agencies.

Child & Youth Friendly City Strategy

The Child and Youth Friendly City Strategy was adopted by Council in 2010. The Strategy identifies actions for the City to take to promote the healthy development of young people. The strategy focuses on engagement, physical environment, and civic services.

Strategy vision

The strategy envisions a community

• Where children and youth are valued community members and actively contribute their time, ideas and perspectives to civic life
• That promotes social connectedness
• Where children and youth feel safe, have freedom of movement, green space and opportunities for play and imagination
• Where all children and youth are able to access enriching and engaging programs and services that promote their healthy development regardless of their family’s income or background

How We Make a Difference

To help address the increasing demand for child care spaces in Surrey we continue to:

• Establish partnerships with non-profit organizations to deliver quality, affordable, and accessible child care
• Align partnerships with provincial priorities and programs
• Roll out Surrey’s community Childcare Action Plan
• Help identify childcare site feasibility
• Provide leadership and support to Surrey’s Community Child Care Task Force

Child Care at City Facilities

City of Surrey & Alexandra Neighbourhood House open the first ever full-day child care program in 2010, located within a community recreation centre. Today, this program provides 108 full-day and part-time spaces for children up to the age of 12. In 2021, it became part of the province's prototype sites, offering child care at $10 per day.

Building on the success of the child care initiative at Kensington Prairie, the City of Surrey supported the creation of child care at the new City Hall in partnership with the YMCA.

This program now offers 20 spaces. It provides both full and part-time options for families.

Surrey Community Child Care Task Force

The Task Force supports a strong universal system of early care and learning in Surrey. The City of Surrey co-chairs the Task Force with the Alexandra Neighbourhood House. The work of the Task Force ensures a collective and effective system of support for child care in our City.

Several members of the Task Force continued to apply for, and receive, the ChildCareBC New Spaces fund, and it is estimated that we collectively added 289 new child care spaces in Surrey. Additionally, 500+ new child care spaces were created in Surrey Schools for ages 5 and up. 

Additionally, members of the Task Force are continuing to participate in the ChildCareBC New Spaces fund through the Province of BC. Since 2018, the Province has provided funding to create 2,842 new licensed child care spaces in Surrey and the total funding amount is $34,475,529 administered via the new spaces fund, start-up grant and UBCM programs.

What's Next

We will maintain and grow partnerships to provide more quality child care in Surrey. Our efforts are paying off as we see more announcements for funding and child care spaces.