The role of the City of Vancouver in addressing childcare availability

Like many cities across Canada, the City of Vancouver has a significant shortage of licensed childcare. Although childcare is primarily funded and regulated by the provinces, staff and officials at the City of Vancouver have, to a greater extent than most other local governments in British Columbia, made long-standing efforts to facilitate the creation of childcare spaces. My study uses key informant interviews and document analysis to understand the strategies that Vancouver's officials have used to address licensed childcare availability, the motivations behind the city's active approach, and the outcomes therein. My findings suggest that, in the historical absence of adequate provincial and federal support, City of Vancouver officials intervened in an area of social services that is officially the responsibility of senior governments. Although these efforts have not solved Vancouver's childcare availability issues on their own, my study suggests that local governments can play important roles in creating childcare spaces through the use of partnership development, advocacy, investment and planning.