Increasing Childcare Spaces at the City of Vancouver

The City of Vancouver uses municipal government levers to stimulate the development of new childcare spaces.

Additional information

Scale

Municipal

Region

North America

Location: Vancouver, Canada

Organization: City of Vancouver

About the Wise Practice

The City of Vancouver uses the following municipal government “levers” to stimulate the development of new childcare spaces:

  1. 1) Development Cost Levies: Most new development in the City of Vancouver pays Development Cost Levies (DCLs). A DCL is paid by property developers based on square footage. DCLs are an important source of revenue for City facilities including childcare. More information.
  2. 2) Community Amenity Contributions: Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) are in-kind or cash contributions provided by property developers when City Council grants development rights through rezoning. More information.
  3. 3) Childcare grants programs: The City annually provides grants to childcare providers aimed at enhancing existing childcare facilities, developing new facilities, and for research, policy development, or related projects. More information.

Category

Childcare & Elder Care

Goals

Goal 2:Encourage the provision of the necessary supporting social services to enable parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities and participation in public life, in particular through promoting the establishment and development of a network of child-care facilities (CEDAW article 11.2c).

Measurement

Progress is measured by the number of new licensed childcare spaces created and directly supported.

Monitoring

Council receives annual reports on the allocation of DCLs, CACs, and Childcare grants. See the following for more details:

  1. — Development Cost Levies
  2. — Community Amenity Agreements
  3. — Childcare Grants

Lessons Learned

Work is underway to improve and streamline processes for licensing new childcare spaces.

Resources and More Information

  1. — Development Cost Levies
  2. — Community Amenity Agreements
  3. — Childcare Grants