Construction has started on a new downtown YMCA childcare centre in Prince George, which will provide much-needed childcare and early childhood education for local families.

The facility will provide 85 new childcare spaces, including 12 infant/toddler spaces, 25 group childcare spaces for children ages 30 months to school age, and 48 school-age spaces.

The site, located along Queensway next to the Park House Condominiums, will be operated by the YMCA and called the YMCA Park House Care and Early Learning Centre.

“The YMCA is thrilled to be able to support Prince George parents and caregivers to have access to quality, affordable, early learning and child care in downtown Prince George,” says YMCA of Northern BC CEO, Amanda Alexander. “There is a tremendous demand for child care in the downtown core and given the increased need to support, in particular, women and vulnerable parents being able to return to work given the impacts of the pandemic, the YMCA Parkhouse Care and Early Learning Centre will help meet this need.”

The City of Prince George received grant funding from the Government of B.C. and the Union of B.C. Municipalities to construct the project. The facility is being built at a fixed price by A&T Project Development Inc. in collaboration with PRD Construction of Prince George.

Colliers Project Leaders is providing project management services to help ensure that timelines and budgets associated with the facility are met.

The YMCA Park House Care and Early Learning Centre is scheduled to open in late 2021.

The project was announced last September, and funding was awarded after the city made a $3 million grant application to the province’s Childcare BC New Spaces Fund. An additional $1 Million in funding has been provided through the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Community Child Care Space Creation Program.