School districts can now apply for support to accelerate the creation of before‑ and after-school care spaces throughout the province.

Funding is available for schools to repurpose existing space, which will help cover startup costs that come with launching new child care programs.

“Schools are community hubs and this funding will help schools turn available space into much-needed before‑ and after-school child care, faster,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care. “School districts have been clear; this support is critical to creating more child care spaces for families. Our government remains focused on building a child care system that works for families now and is sustainable long into the future.”

Expanding space creation

School districts will have access to a new provincial investment to create before- and after-school child care spaces as early as fall 2026.

The Ministry of Infrastructure is providing $5 million in child care capital funding to support renovations and the repurposing of existing space in school buildings to create new child care spaces. This program is the first of its kind, building on the Province’s work to look at innovative ways of creating spaces more efficiently. Successful applicants will be eligible to access additional funding through the Ministry of Education and Child Care to support opening these spaces, including $20 million to support operating costs for new child care programs over the next three years.

“Building stand-alone facilities can be costly and time-consuming,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “By making better use of space schools already have, this approach reduces barriers and encourages school districts to plan and invest in their current infrastructure. This program supports our work to find new ways of creating child care spaces and lessons learned from this program will allow government to creatively shape space creations moving forward.”

To further encourage the creation of child care spaces on school grounds, a recent ministerial order requires boards of education to identify available space in elementary schools. Boards of education are uniquely positioned to assess community need for child care. This targeted planning will help districts and the Province understand when and how existing space can be used for new or expanded child care programs.