Coquitlam recognizes that access to affordable, high quality child care facilitates early childhood development, enables parents to work and contribute to the local economy, strengthens neighbourhoods, and helps to build a more attractive, stable and complete community.
Child Care Facility Requirements: Building Permits, Zoning, Business Licenses - Coquitlam Planning and Development (PDF)
Child Care Partnership Strategy
The City of Coquitlam Child Care Partnership Strategy (PDF) was endorsed by Council on December 6, 2021. The Strategy includes actions to improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of child care in Coquitlam. In alignment with the Strategy, Coquitlam has developed policies that support the creation of new child care spaces through the development application process.
Child Care Funding
Coquitlam’s Child Care Partnership Reserve Fund
Not-for-profit and public child care operators creating new child care spaces in Coquitlam may apply for capital grant funding from the Child Care Partnership Reserve Fund. Please see the Child Care Partnership Reserve Fund Policy (PDF) for more information about grant requirements and the application process.
ChildCare BC
The Provincial government offers a range of funding programs. These have included Child Care Operating Funding, Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement, and New Spaces funding. For information on provincial child care programs, finding and choosing child care, funding opportunities, opening or running a child care program, support for child care providers, visit ChildCare BC.
Additional Resources
- Tri-Cities YMCA’s Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) program: Information and resources for parents seeking child care and for child care providers.
- Tri-Cities Kids Matter: Information and resources for parents and for people working with children from ages 0-12. Maintained by the Tri-Cities Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Middle Childhood Matters (MCM) Committees, comprising local agencies and public partners serving children and their parents in the Tri-Cities.
- The Early Childhood Educators of BC: Professional development opportunities, training, and resources for early childhood educators across the province. Maintained by the early childhood care and education profession throughout the province.
- Fraser Health Authority: The licensing authority for group child care in Coquitlam, Fraser Health has a range of resources for parents and operators, including regulatory resources to inform programming and facility design that align with BC’s Child Care Licensing Regulation.