A new City of Delta-owned childcare facility will be constructed as part of a major redevelopment project in North Delta, but an update to council on the city’s childcare strategy highlights that many more spaces are needed.
Two years ago, council gave final approval for a proposed 29-storey high-rise at 93A Avenue and 120 Street, a mixed-use development that includes a new childcare facility and outdoor play area that will be transferred to Delta as part of a community benefit package.
The project is currently at the building permit stage and details, including number of spaces and the operator, will be determined as the development progresses.
An update by the Delta Child and Youth Committee (CYC) on Delta’s Child Care Action Plan provided an overview of childcare trends in Delta and progress made in implementing the action plan.
A Delta staff report on that update notes that in 2023, Options Community Services Society (Options), which operates Delta’s Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) program, conducted a fresh review of the city’s childcare needs assessment in partnership with Fraser Health and City of Delta, focusing on understanding the current state of childcare in Delta.
That review found that in 2022, there were 2,597 childcare spaces in Delta, including licensed group, multi-age, in-home multi-age, licensed family childcare and pre-school spaces. Currently, Delta has 19 spaces per 100 children ages 0-to-12, an increase from 17.3 childcare spaces per 100 children in 2019.
The Options report, titled Child Care Update, September 2023, indicates that access to infant, toddler and school age childcare continues to be a barrier for those living in Delta.
The most significant gaps identified included childcare for various ages in North Delta, for children ages 0-to-2 and the school-aged childcare ratio in all three Delta communities still being below the provincial ratio of 18.4.
Options recommends the city to conduct a Phase 2 update of Delta’s Child Care Needs Assessment to project the growth of the number of children and recalculate the number of childcare spaces that will be required in the next five years.
According to Options, CCRR follows up with each referral request to see if the family was able to find care or needs additional support. Long waitlists and a lack of capacity for children who require extra support are common themes.
“Still no luck, I contacted everyone on the Tsawwassen list and I heard back from most saying they’re not even taking names since their wait list is so long. Not sure what I’m supposed to do?” one parent asked, echoing the frustration of other parents who were quoted.
“Some of them (childcare centres) are already offering spots for September 2024 and we’re 44th on the waitlist for those,” another parent told CCRR.
In November 2023, Delta council approved further amendments to streamline the city’s zoning bylaw including making it easier to establish childcare spaces.
The changes are aimed at expanding permitted home occupation operations and allow childcare facilities more broadly across the city. They will be a permitted use in all zones, while in residential and agricultural zones spaces would be limited to a home occupation use.
The update report also highlighted several possibilities to expand childcare when it comes to the Delta School District.
Many Delta elementary schools currently have lease agreements with private child care providers which provide a range of child care services. The district, however, has approved a policy that is in line with provincial expectations of having not for-profit childcare in schools.
All new childcare programs on school property in Delta will be not-for-profit.
In 2022, the Ministry of Education and Childcare provided grants to various school districts to hire lead educators to work on Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) and conduct a review of childcare facilities in elementary schools.
That survey showed that every public school in Delta has families needing childcare, including childcare for pre-school children. The demand for infant and toddler care is particularly high, and most facilities have significant wait lists.
As far as Seamless Day Kindergartens, Sunshine Hills Elementary was selected for a pilot project and currently has 24 full-time spots filled with a waitlist of over 10 students.
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