Child Care Overview
Provincial Jurisdiction
The Provincial Government has the constitutional mandate for the planning and funding of social services, including early learning and child care programs. In B.C., as elsewhere in Canada, the Provincial Government is responsible for child care legislation, policy and regulations, facility licensing, fee subsidies to low-income families and program supports.
How to Find Child Care in Richmond
Information about how to find quality child care is available at the Richmond Child Care Resource and Referral Centre (CCRR), a provincially-funded program of Volunteer Richmond Information Services http://www.volunteerrichmond.ca. Trained staff will assist parents in choosing the best child care setting for their child’s needs and provide referrals to child care centres.
A list of Licensed and Registered Child Care Providers in Richmond is available on the CCRR website at http://www.volunteerrichmond.ca/Programs/CCRR/Families/ReferralService.aspx
Additional information, including a Parents’ Guide to Selecting and Monitoring Child Care in B.C., is found on the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development website at http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/childcare.
Child Care Subsidy
Families may be eligible for assistance with the cost of child care. Information and applications for the B.C. government child care subsidy are available through the CCRR at 604-279-7020, or on the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development website at http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/childcare.
Licensed Child Care Centres
Child care facilities, including group centres, family child care, preschools and school age care, are licensed by the Richmond Health Department of Vancouver Coastal Health, a body of the Provincial Government. Licensing Officers in the Community Care Facilities Licensing Program license and inspect child care facilities throughout the City.
For more information about the licensing program, including who needs a license and how to become licensed, visit the Vancouver Coastal Health website at http://www.vch.ca/your_environment/facility_licensing/child_care/.
Registered Family Child Care Centres (License-not-required)
In addition to licensed facilities, there are also Registered “License-not-required” facilities, in which two children or one sibling group, not related to the caregiver, are cared for in the caregiver’s home. To find this type of care, or to register your facility, please contact the CCRR at 604-279-7020.
City Initiatives
While municipalities have no direct mandate to provide or support early learning or childcare initiatives, many do play supportive roles. The City of Richmond has a particularly strong history of such involvement, as demonstrated through such ongoing commitments as:
- the development and implementation of the City’s Child Care Policy, which acknowledges that quality and affordable child care is an essential service in the community for residents, employers and employees,
- the establishment and support of the Child Care Development Advisory Committee, whose purpose is to provide advice to Richmond City Council regarding the development of quality, affordable and accessible child care,
- establishment of the Child Care Development Statutory Reserve Fund, which holds City-negotiated contributions from developers and other sources for child care capital projects,
- the planning and development of City-owned child care facilities for lease at nominal rates to non-profit providers,
- the allocation of Child Care Grants, to licensed non-profit child care providers and non-profit societies for capital purposes that support the provision of child care, and
- conducting periodic Child Care Needs Assessments to determine neighbourhood and City-wide priorities and propose actions for all stakeholders.
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