At Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities on February 5th, Council endorsed the application of the “Provincial Child Care Design Guidelines”, in replacement of the City’s Childcare Design Guidelines to guide the design and construction of all new City-owned childcare facilities or childcare facilities otherwise preserved in the public domain by way of a condition of rezoning, development, or registered agreement (a “public childcare”). In harmonizing the Childcare Design Guidelines with those of the Province, the intention is to increase clarity, ensure functional and licensable facilities, and harmonize policy. 

While largely similar, differences between the Provincial and Vancouver Design Guidelines include: 

• Slight reduction in size of indoor activity area, at 0.9 -1.5 sq.m less per child; 
• Elimination of parent rooms; 
• Addition of staff break rooms (which may also provide the function of a parent room); 
• Greater flexibility for applicants in the option to provide “napping areas” instead of enclosed nap rooms for older children, and “quieter play areas” instead of enclosed quiet rooms, where appropriate; 
• Greater consideration for climate resilience, including consideration for ample shade as well as sun access, and inclusion of emergency storage rooms; and 
• Inclusion of guidelines for multi-age and school-age care (the two childcare license types that are not addressed in the Vancouver Childcare Design Guidelines). 

Additionally, the city is working on increasing childcare availability in residential areas by addressing zoning barriers, with recommendations expected in 2025. A site search is also underway to identify public lands for new childcare facilities, prioritizing South and East Vancouver, with a focus on prefabricated spaces for quicker deployment. 

More information can be found in the full report by City staff.