The City of North Vancouver opened the doors on an innovative not-for-profit childcare facility in Mahon Park today.
This new facility, made possible through nearly $2.7 million in funding from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund includes a 37-space childcare centre with a fenced outdoor play space. The new childcare centre will be operated by YMCA-BC and is anticipated to be open to families as early as August 2025.
The childcare is co-located with modern and fully accessible public washrooms and change rooms. They will be available to the many sport and recreation users of all ages who play in Mahon Park later this summer.
“Accessible, high-quality childcare is central to the livability of our community and the wellbeing of all residents,” said City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan. “It supports the healthy development of children, gives working parents peace of mind, and strengthens the local economy. That’s why we’re committed to partnering with senior levels of government and outstanding operators like the YMCA to deliver these much-needed spaces. By streamlining the childcare development process, we’re prioritizing families and investing in a more inclusive, resilient, and thriving city for everyone.”
Since Council’s 2021 adoption of the Childcare Action Plan, the City of North Vancouver has made significant progress toward its target of 1000+ new licensed childcare spaces by 2031. The City of North Vancouver will have created 211 new licensed childcare spaces since 2021, including 53 new spaces in 2025 alone.
“Hard-working families in North Vancouver will benefit immensely from access to high-quality child care spaces that our government has delivered through this partnership,” said Rohini Arora, Parliamentary Secretary for child care. “The opening of this new child care site means working parents, single parents, and especially women who take on so much care work, can go to work or school knowing their children are in a safe, supportive environment close to home. This benefits families and helps the North Vancouver community’s economy thrive as a whole. It is a meaningful step towards building a future where access to affordable child care is a core service families can rely on.”
The City of North Vancouver has worked quickly to bring the childcare facility in Mahon Park online from a project ground-breaking in March 2024 to the delivery of the childcare facility to the operator, YMCA-BC today 15-months later.
"With many months of excellent team work, it is so rewarding to see this child care centre come to life" said Heidi Worthington, President and CEO, YMCA BC. “As a charity committed to igniting the potential in children and helping families thrive, the YMCA is proud to collaborate with the City on this project that will serve the growing needs of this community. We look forward to opening the doors to the Mahon Park YMCA Child Care centre and providing many more children with quality early learning experiences.”
In addition to childcare provision, the completion of this facility helps realize the City’s ongoing commitment to capital investments that enhance livability and accessibility. Designed by Carscadden Stokes McDonald Architects, the facility includes six public individual washrooms (two universally accessible) and two new team change rooms, each with their own washroom and three showers.
The outdoor area to the south of the fieldhouse includes an open, covered pavilion for year-round park programming. The entire facility is located close to park amenities like Fen Burdett track and field, a beloved playground and splash park, sport courts and a skateboard plaza, not to mention proximity to walking trails.
Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure and MLA North Vancouver-Lonsdale
“The opening of 37 new spaces for North Vancouver families is great news! Our community is growing quickly, with many young families, and we are stepping up to support hard-working parents and their kids to thrive,” said Bowinn Ma, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale. “This child care opening in Mahon Park is an important step forward to make it easier for parents to find affordable, high-quality child care close to home.”