Find a Francophone Child Care Centre in British Columbia

Here are some tools and leads to help you find a French-language child care centre.

BC Child Care Map

Provided by the Government of B.C., this interactive map lists child care centres in B.C., both Francophone and English-speaking.

To search for services in French, click “Search by Services Offered” and then under Languages, select “French”.

To select only the centres that have available spaces, search as above, and then click “Only show facilities with vacancies” (at the bottom).

BC Child Care Resource & Referral

This resource centre offers lists of child care centres by type and region.

You can use the Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre website to find a list of all the child care centres located in the City of Vancouver.

Annuaire des services en français en C.-B.

L’Annuaire is a project of the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique (FFCB); it provides contact information for a wide range of French-language services available across the province, including child care services.

Child care centres are listed under the heading Petite enfance.

Types of Child Care Centres in B.C.

Early childhood is not only a crucial stage in the physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development of children, but also an important time for the acquisition of a solid foundation in language.

Licensed family child care centres are monitored and regularly inspected by regional health authorities. They must meet specific requirements for health and safety, staff qualifications, record keeping, space and equipment, staff-to-child ratios, and programming.

Age: from birth to 12 years old.
Maximum group size: 7 children.

Staff-to-child ratio:
1 Responsible Adult (who is also the licensee) for 7 children.

Staff qualifications:
The adult must be 19 years of age or older and be able to provide care and mature guidance to children. They must also have completed 20 hours of Responsible Adult training, have relevant professional experience, hold a valid first aid certificate, and have a clean criminal record.

Setting: At the Responsible Adult’s own home.

These child care providers can legally operate in British Columbia. They are not registered or licensed and are not monitored or inspected. Unlicensed child care providers are not required to meet health or safety standards.

Legally, these child care providers can care for up to two children (or a sibling group) who are not related to them. They may be operating illegally if they have more than two children in their care.

Parents and guardians are responsible for overseeing the care and safety of their children in these care arrangements.

Age: from birth to any age.

Maximum group size: only two children or a sibling group who are not related to the care provider.

Staff-to-child ratio:
1 adult for 2 children (or 1 sibling group) per room.

Staff qualifications:
No qualifications are required – this type of child care provider may or may not have formal training in child care or have previous experience in this field.

Setting: at the service provider’s home.

Licensed group child care centres are monitored and regularly inspected by regional health authorities. They must meet specific requirements for health and safety, staff qualifications, record keeping, space and equipment, staff-to-child ratios, and programming.

Age: from birth to 36 months old.

Maximum group size: 12 children.

Staff-to-child ratio:
1 to 4 children: 1 Infant Toddler Educator;
5 to 8 children: 1 Infant Toddler Educator and 1 Early Childhood Educator;
9 to 12 children: 1 Infant Toddler Educator, 1 Early Childhood Educator, and 1 Early Childhood Educator Assistant.

Staff qualifications:
Infant Toddler Educator Certificate (approximately 1300 hours of training);
Early Childhood Educator Certificate (approximately 900 hours of training);
Early Childhood Educator Assistant Certificate (completed one Early Childhood Education course).

Setting: A community-based facility or centre.

Licensed group child care centres are monitored and regularly inspected by regional health authorities. They must meet specific requirements for health and safety, staff qualifications, record keeping, space and equipment, staff-to-child ratios, and programming.

Age: From 30 months old to school age (Kindergarten).

Maximum group size: 25 children.

Staff-to-child ratio:
1 to 8 children: 1 Early Childhood Educator;
9 to 16 children: 1 Early Childhood Educator and 1 Early Childhood Educator Assistant;
17 to 25 children: 1 Early Childhood Educator and 2 Early Childhood Educator Assistants.

Staff qualifications:
Early Childhood Educator Certificate (approximately 900 hours of training);
Early Childhood Educator Assistant Certificate (completed one Early Childhood Education course).

Setting: A community-based facility or centre.

Once your child has started school, he or she can attend a Before and After School Child Care Centre. Offered before and after class hours, in the school, this service is intended for children aged 5 to 12 years old and is run by an entity other than the school.

Ages: from 5 to 12 years old (Kindergarten to Grade 6).
Maximum group size: 24 children from Kindergarten and Grade 1, OR 30 children from Grade 2 and older with no Kindergarten or Grade 1 children present.

Staff-to-child ratio:
1 to 12 children from Kindergarten and Grade 1: 1 Responsible Adult;
1 to 15 children from Grade 2 and older: 1 Responsible Adult.

Staff qualifications:
Responsible Adults must be 19 years of age or older and able to provide care and mature guidance to children. They must also have completed 20 hours of child-care-related training, relevant professional experience, a valid first aid certificate, and a clear criminal record check.

Setting: A community-based facility or centre.

Preschools typically operate during the school year (September to June). Most preschool programs run from one to four hours a day (some programs can run longer).

Ages: From 2.5 years old (30 months) to school age (Kindergarten).
Maximum group size: 20 children.

Staff-to-child ratio:
1 to 10 children: 1 Early Childhood Educator;
11 to 20 children: 1 Early Childhood Educator and 1 Early Childhood Educator Assistant.

Staff qualifications:
Early Childhood Educator Certificate (approximately 900 hours of training);
Early Childhood Educator Assistant Certificate (completed one Early Childhood Education course).

Setting: A community-based facility or centre.

Click on the image below to download the full PDF graphic summarizing the different types of child care services in British Columbia.