Prince George, BC - The City of Prince George’s Childcare Needs Assessment conducted in 2019 identified a significant need for daycare spaces in Prince George. During Monday’s council meeting, the City addressed that need with the approval of construction of a third daycare. The daycare is fully funded through a grant from the Province of BC for $5,061,038.
Mayor Lyn Hall stated, “On behalf of the City of Prince George, we are extremely grateful to the Province for their investment in the expansion of daycare services in our city. There is a great need for Prince George families to have more access to licensed childcare. Along with the new YMCA Parkhouse, and the Dagg Road child care development, the Malaspina development will be a great step toward closing the gap in available childcare spaces.”
The as-yet-unnamed childcare centre at 8008 Malaspina Avenue will feature 83 spaces:
- 24 spaces for infants and toddlers.
- 25 spaces for children aged 30 months to school age.
- 24 spaces for school-aged children.
- 10 pre-school spaces (for 20 preschoolers attending on a part-time schedule).
The City of Prince George is also proceeding with the Tsulh'cho Daycare/Huckleberry Daycare childcare facility on Dagg Road (60 spaces), in addition to the recently opened YMCA Parkhouse and Early Learning Centre (85 spaces).
This third daycare announcement brings the total of new childcare spaces in Prince George to 228. These capital projects were made possible by nearly $10.5 Million in provincial funding and a $1 Million grant from the Union of BC Municipalities for the Parkhouse and Early Learning Centre.
The Malaspina facility will be operated by Kool Cats Kid Care (KCKC), which is affiliated with the College Heights Community Association. KCKC has been providing childcare services for 35 years.
As with the on time and on-budget YMCA Parkhouse Care and Early Learning Centre, the City contracted Colliers to provide project management services for the Malaspina daycare project. Construction of the facility has been awarded to Datoff Brothers Construction and expected to be complete by the summer of 2023.
The City of Prince George had investigated the possibility of constructing a dog park at the same location on Malaspina Avenue. With the approval of the new childcare facility, there will no longer be room to construct a dog park at that location and so the City is reviewing alternative sites for a dog park in the Lower College Heights neighbourhood. Community consultation on a location will take place this summer followed by construction in 2023.