COQUITLAM, BC, Oct. 3, 2022 – Coquitlam City Council has approved two key pieces of policy aimed at bringing more child care spaces to the community.
Coquitlam City Council previously approved a new Child Care Partnership Strategy in December 2021. This document provides a framework for Coquitlam’s approach to child care within the scope of local government responsibility.
Within that Strategy were two key policies, which have now also been approved: Child Care Incentive Policy and Child Care Partnership Reserve Fund. These initiatives borrow some of the successful tools from Coquitlam’s Housing Affordability Strategy, which has significantly increased rental units through development incentives and requirements.
Incentives and Funding Key to Child Care
At the core of Coquitlam’s Child Care Partnership Strategy are two key policies aimed at incentivizing and funding child care spaces for the community:
- Child Care Incentive Policy encourages new child care spaces by offering additional residential floor area for developments that include child care. It will also make permanent the interim policy that has been in place since 2019, which allows child care space to be excluded from the maximum building size calculation.
- Child Care Partnership Reserve Fund (CCPRF) borrows from the success of the Housing Affordability Strategy (HAS) to propose developer-funded financial contributions towards child care spaces. This fund ties in with the City’s Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) program with $1 (of the recently-approved $6) per square foot of residential floor area allocated for child care.
These new policies are effective for new development applications starting in 2023.
Coquitlam Acts to Address Child Care Challenges
Access to affordable, quality child care enables more parents to work and is closely associated with community livability and affordability.
Coquitlam currently has an estimated 24.6 licensed child care spaces for every 100 children ages 0 to 12. The number of spaces varies, with less availability for children under age three or ages 5 to 12. For their part, child care operators face significant challenges finding affordable quality facilities and qualified staff with flexible availability.
The issues are compounded by Coquitlam’s fast-growing child population, which rose by eight per cent from 2011 and 2016 and is projected to grow another 13 per cent by 2031.
While senior levels of government are primarily responsible for child care systems in Canada, Coquitlam’s strategy focuses on what the City can do to improve child care within its scope of influence.
About Coquitlam’s Child Care Partnership Strategy
Adopted in December 2021, the Child Care Partnership Strategy provides a framework for Coquitlam’s approach to child care within the local government scope of responsibility, recognizing the larger role of senior levels of government and community partners. The strategy is structured around four strategic directions and supporting actions, and an implementation plan to improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of child care in Coquitlam, including the use of incentives and other means. Learn more about the strategy at www.coquitlam.ca/childcare.
In July 2022, Coquitlam’s Child Care Partnership Strategy was awarded a Silver Medal for Excellence in Policy Planning by the Planning Institute of BC (PIBC).
To sign up for updates, visit www.coquitlam.ca/notifyme and subscribe to the Child Care Partnership Strategy list.
Media contact:
Genevieve Bucher
Director, Community Planning
604-927-3490
gbucher@coquitlam.ca