Putting down their names on multiple waiting lists to a get a child-care spot is something that many parents in Vancouver can relate to.

Some have waited more than a year, or two, in some cases.

Some drive kilometres to neighbouring cities to take their kids to a centre.

Some have even thought about leaving town because they're not able to find care for their children while they're at work.

As parents in Vancouver grapple with the shortage of child-care centres in the city, the local and provincial government has announced that some good news is on the way.

B.C. premier John Horgan said today that approximately 2,300 new child-care spaces are coming to schools, community centres, and other public facilities across Vancouver.

Horgan said this will make “routines easier for busy parents and helping young children transition smoothly into the school system”.

“When families have access to quality child care, they thrive and so do our communities and our economy,” Horgan added. “Working with the City of Vancouver, we are creating more affordable child care spaces for more families. These new spaces will help families across the city, lifting them up and helping them to get ahead.”

To do this, the city will receive $33 million from the provincial government’s Childcare B.C. New Spaces Fund program over the next three years.

Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart said the new child-care spaces will make “our city more vibrant and helps young families stay in Vancouver”.

“Increasing access to quality, affordable child care is one more way we're helping families thrive in Vancouver and ensuring that our city works for everyone,” Stewart said. “This partnership between the City of Vancouver and the province of B.C. will provide a proven economic return on investment while keeping our neighbourhoods vibrant and strong."

Through the new program, the City of Vancouver will fund new licensed child-care spaces for both children under the age of five and school-age children.

Children and Family Development Minister Katrine Conroy, who had a career in early childhood education in the past, encourages other local governments to “think big” and bring child-care to the families in desperate need. “We look forward to working with them on their own projects.”

“Ensuring families can access affordable, quality child care also benefits our economy by allowing parents to enter the workforce. By partnering with public-sector organizations, we can quickly add child care where it’s most needed,” Conroy added.

The minister of state for child care, Katrina Chen, said that the government is “taking strides to make it easier [for parents] to find child care”.

“We know that child care is incredibly hard to find. By taking advantage of public spaces such as schools, libraries, and community centers, these new facilities will offer a one-stop shop for parents, providing access to quality child care, as well as other essential services families need,” Chen said.

Under the new initiative, child-care providers can apply for funding to create new spaces at any time throughout the year.

The provincial government said, since July 2018, it has funded more than 8,000 new licensed child-care spaces across B.C. More new spaces will be added once other projects are approved, according to the government.

Vancouver has been grappling with child-care shortage since the 1990s; however, in recent years the situation has worsened.

According to Vancouver's mayor, the city has a shortage of 17,000 child-care spaces.