Excerpt
Background and context
The City of Vancouver is committed to supporting the creation of high quality and accessible childcare spaces that promote healthy child development and support working families. The City has adopted a number of goals and objectives to support access to quality, affordable licensed childcare, including:
The Healthy City Strategy: A Good Start (2014)
- Vancouver’s children should have access to quality childcare that promotes physical and mental health and social development, and improves school readiness.
- The City seeks to improve access to licensed childcare centres that are affordable and inclusive.
Intent
The intent of the City of Vancouver’s Childcare Guidelines is to inform the creation of safe and quality childcare (also known as child day care) facilities that support healthy outcomes for children (in social, emotional, cognitive and physical development realms).
These design guidelines apply to childcare facilities that offer licensed childcare serving children 0-5 years (except for those in temporary structures), including applications in which childcare facilities are required:
- as a condition of rezoning; or
- as a condition of development permit approval.
The guidelines are to be used by childcare developers, architects and City staff.
Site selection, site planning, and indoor and outdoor design considerations are addressed. Appendix A includes a list of Common Toxic Plants.
In addition to these guidelines, other approvals and permits are required for the design, construction and occupancy of childcare facilities:
- The "Child Care Licensing Regulation" pursuant to the Community Care and Assisted Living Act provides minimum operational and design requirements for childcare facilities. The regulatory agency in Vancouver is the Community Care Facilities Licensing (CCFL) office at Vancouver Coastal Health, which approve all group childcare facility plans and should be consulted in the earliest planning phase.
- Development, Building and Occupancy Permits are required for all new group childcare facilities. For detailed information concerning these permits and other relevant codes and requirements, contact the City of Vancouver’s Development and Building Services Enquiry Centre.
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