Families on Vancouver Island will soon have access to nearly 340 new licensed child care spaces as part of the Province's ongoing commitment to increasing access to child care through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond!

The Childcare BC New Spaces Fund is supporting nine projects to create 336 new licensed child care spaces in Greater Victoria, Sooke, Tahsis and North Saanich. These spaces are part of the fastest creation of child care spaces in B.C.'s history and were part of the September 2020 milestone that marked more than 20,000 new spaces funded throughout the province in just over two years.

Right here in Saanich South the Greater Victoria School District 61 is continuing its partnership with the Vancouver Island Kids Klub Centre Society to create 40 new child care spaces at Lake Hill Elementary – 16 spaces for children aged three years to kindergarten and 24 school-age spaces. Working closely with the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children, the new spaces will be fully accessible. The Kids Klub Brown Bag program will provide free daily lunches to support vulnerable children in the Victoria, Saanich and Sooke School Districts. The spaces are expected to open in July 2022.

Learn more: 
For information on health and safety standards for child care during COVID-19, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/ChildCareCovid-19Response
Child care factsheet: https://news.gov.bc.ca/18430
To learn more about the Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/newspacesfund

For more about Childcare BC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare
For a French translation, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021CFD0020-000340#translations

Happy Easter everyone!

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I’d like to share the latest news about our vaccine rollout. Starting in April, front-line priority workers can receive their first dose of vaccine. This includes first responders, K to 12 educational staff, child care staff, grocery store workers and more. You can see the full list here. People in these groups will get more information through their employers, and do not need to call the health authority.

 
People who are clinically extremely vulnerable due to existing medical conditions will also be eligible to receive their first dose of vaccine in the coming weeks. People in this group will receive a letter telling them how to book an appointment, beginning March 29^th. You can find more information and the list of conditions here.
 
Vaccine booking by age groups continues ahead of schedule. As of Friday, March 26^th at 12pm, all seniors who are 74+ years old and Indigenous seniors who are 65+ years old can call 1-833-348-4787 to book an appointment. Please go to gov.bc.ca/bcseniorsfirst for more information. 

 
Today we announced that seniors in long-term care will soon be able to have frequent, regular opportunities for social visits from loved ones, with safety measures in place. Read more about this here.
 
B.C.’s COVID-19 Immunization Plan continues to save lives and reduce the spread of COVID-19, making us all safer. As always, if you have questions or need any assistance with provincial COVID-19 supports, or any other provincial issue, please reach out. My office can be reached at  lana.popham.mla@leg.bc.ca or 250-479-4154.