The City of Kamloops is getting a clearer picture of the child care challenges facing local families as it prepares to bring forward a new Child Care Action Plan next month.

An engagement update presented to council’s Committee of the Whole on Tuesday found that access to child care remains a significant issue despite recent provincial and federal investments aimed at making care more affordable.

According to city staff, approximately one in three families surveyed said they were unable to secure child care for all of their children, with the biggest shortages reported in infant and school-age spaces.

“Child care is an essential social infrastructure for children’s families and communities,” Community and Culture Director Sarah Candido told council. “I think COVID might be a prime example of a time when child care shuts down, it shuts down communities.”

City Looking for a Local Role

The City launched the Child Care Action Plan after discussions with its Early Learning and Child Care Engagement Group identified a need for a more focused municipal response to local child care challenges.

While child care is primarily regulated and funded by senior levels of government, Candido said municipalities still have an important role to play.

“The question was, well, what do we do as the city? What is the city’s role in this?” she said. “The intention behind the action plan … was to really focus us on what the municipal government’s role is within child care.”

The plan is expected to focus on three key areas: municipal policies and planning processes, community coordination, and advocacy to other levels of government.

To help shape the plan, the city surveyed 291 parents and caregivers and 38 licensed child care providers in 2025, while also conducting focus groups and consulting with partners including Thompson Rivers University, School District 73 and Interior Health.

Affordability Improved, But Spaces Remain Scarce

The findings highlight a sector under pressure.

While affordability has improved through programs such as the province’s $10-a-Day ChildCareBC initiative, demand has grown faster than the number of available spaces.

“Basic economics says when you decrease price and you don’t address supply, demand shoots and you don’t have enough,” Candido said. “We reduced all the prices, but we didn’t come up with … workforce capacity and system infrastructure to address that new demand.”

Parents reported ongoing concerns around affordability, accessibility and inclusion. Families of children with developmental, behavioural or medical needs said they often face additional barriers finding appropriate care.

Operators, meanwhile, pointed to workforce shortages, staff burnout, recruitment and retention challenges, licensing inconsistencies and administrative burdens created by multiple funding programs.

A Complex System Under Strain

Candido described the child care system as “incredibly complex,” noting responsibilities are spread across numerous ministries and agencies.

“The child care sector is incredibly complex. It was very eye-opening when you start to sort of understand and take the layers of the onion apart and trying to understand how this system works,” she said.

She noted that multiple provincial ministries, health authorities and federal agencies all play a role in funding, regulating and supporting the sector, creating challenges for operators trying to navigate the system.

At the same time, providers continue to struggle with staffing shortages, low wages, burnout and a lack of clear career pathways for early childhood educators.

What the City Could Do

The City’s engagement findings suggest there are opportunities to improve local planning and support systems without directly operating child care services.

Potential actions being explored include:

• Integrating child care into neighbourhood planning;
• Reviewing zoning approaches to make it easier to create new spaces;
• Improving information and guidance resources for operators;
• Strengthening collaboration among sector partners; and
• Supporting evidence-based advocacy efforts with senior governments.

Candido said the goal is to recognize child care as essential community infrastructure, alongside schools, parks and recreation facilities.

Councillors Discuss Advocacy and Next Steps

Councillor Dale Bass welcomed the report and asked what role council could play in advancing solutions, while several councillors pointed to the need for continued advocacy with provincial and federal governments.

Councillor Bill Sarai suggested child care should remain a key advocacy priority, while Councillor Stephen Karpuk emphasized the importance of ensuring senior governments continue to support expansion efforts.

Some councillors also expressed concern about the city taking on responsibilities that traditionally belong to provincial and federal governments.

Candido reassured council that the municipality is not looking to become a child care provider.

“We are not intending to take on childcare in any capacity,” she said. “But utilizing that group, convening that group and helping utilize our leadership in community to be able to better support childcare overall.”

Action Plan Expected in July

City staff are now working to finalize specific recommendations and actions based on the engagement findings.

A final Child Care Action Plan is expected to return to council for consideration and endorsement in early July.