Child care on UBC campus is a pressing concern for many parents. Waitlists seem sky high, making the search for child care a daunting task.
It is difficult to pinpoint how long families may be on the waitlist for child care on campus. Various factors affect how long the wait will be—date of application, the number of spots available, and the number of applications for the specific age group.
UBC Child Care website says families who request child care between July and September experience the shortest wait times, while those who make the request in late April experience the longest wait times. This is because wait times are usually longest in late April, but shortest in September due to highest turnover rates.
The length of the waitlist is different for each age group. It can be as low as nine months for the youngest age group, but up to two and a half years for others. Parents can see an estimate of how long their wait for childcare may be here.
UBC students, faculty, and staff have priority. Applications from families not affiliated to the university are welcome, but the need for child care from UBC’s priority groups leaves few—if any—remaining spots.
UBC Child Care offers 750 spots and is the largest campus-based provider of child care in North America. There are, however, other options for on-campus child care.
The YMCA operates two child care centres: the Vista Point YMCA Child Care Centre and the new Wesbrook Child Care Centre, which offers 49 spaces. There is also the Berwick Child Development Centre, operated by the Developmental Disabilities Association. It offers child care to families with children with special needs.
To accommodate the need for child care on campus, UBC has adopted a child care expansion plan. Approved by the Board of Governors in 2009 and updated in 2018, the plan aims to create 1,200 spaces by 2041.
Given the need for child care on campus, the new facilities will help address the long waitlists.
In August, UBC Child Care plans to open Heron’s Landing, a new facility in Brock Commons North on Walter Gage Road. The centre that will accommodate 37 children. There will be 25 spots for children aged 3–5, and 12 spaces for infants and toddlers.
A new child care centre near Orchard Commons on Agronomy Road is now at the design stage. It will create 28 new spaces. 12 for infants and toddlers and 16 spaces for ages 3–5. Construction is expected to start in April 2025 but there is no confirmed date when the centre will open.
AMIE BERNAERDT IS A THIRD-YEAR STUDENT AT UBC WITH PLANS TO MAJOR IN CREATIVE WRITING OR ANTHROPOLOGY. SHE LIVES IN WESBROOK PLACE.