Project overview

Many of you have raised concerns about the availability of child care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Child care is necessary to ensure essential service workers are able to support community efforts to battle the pandemic. The government is putting measures in place to ensure that appropriate, safe care is available for children who need it. 

Essential workers can fill out a form to identify their need for urgent child care for children aged zero to five years. You can access the forms online or by calling 1-888-338-6622 and selecting option 4. 

For child care support for children ages five to 12, please contact your local school, school board or Child Care Resource and Referral Society. Child Care Resource and Referral Society support parents and caregivers by providing referrals to child care centres with available spaces in your geographic area. We understand that there are currently spaces available in child care centres across the region. For more information, please visit Child Care Resource and Referral Society.

Child Care Resource and Referral Centres in the Fraser Region

For more information or contacts for other locations, please visit Child Care Resource Referral Centres.

Childcare BC

Use the Child Care Map to search licensed providers in your community. For more information, please visit Childcare BC.

Fraser Health Community Care Facilities Licensing

Community Care Facilities Licensing inspects licensed child care facilities to make sure they comply with regulatory requirements. Routine inspections and complaint summaries are posted on the Fraser Health website to assist families in making informed child care choices. For more information, please visit fraserhealth.ca/childcare.

Volunteer Options (for nursing staff)

Nursing student volunteers are organizing students to support nursing staff during the COVID-19 response. Student volunteers are able to provide short term child care up to a maximum of 15 hours. Due to a very limited supply of volunteers, this option is to be used only when no other resources are available. More information will be made available.

Any employee who needs to stay home to care for a child, dependent adult or prescribed person (including because of the closure of a school, daycare, or similar facility) is eligible for COVID-19 leave. Please discuss with your supervisor. See more details about COVID-19 leave in section below. 

Please first try to access the child care resources available as noted in the response to the question ‘What support is available for staff with children’ above. 

An employee who is unable to attend work because they are required to care for their children may access paid leave banks such as vacation and banked overtime. In these circumstances, employees do not qualify for a paid general leave or sick leave. If they do not have a vacation or banked overtime and cannot attend work, they must be placed on an unpaid leave of absence. Asymptomatic health care workers who are required to remain at home to care for sick family members may use vacation and banked overtime. They do not qualify for a general paid leave or sick leave. If they do not have banks and cannot attend work, they must be placed on an unpaid leave of absence.