Construction of Lethbridge’s first 24-hour childcare centre hoping to fill gap in available child-care space

A new child-care centre is now under construction, and when it opens in the fall, it will be the first facility in Lethbridge to offer 24-hour care.

The first 24-hour child-care facility in Lethbridge is under construction as demand for spaces continues to grow.

“We’re happy to build a space that gives an alternative solution as well as we know that there are lots of parents that are working shift work these days,” said Carolyn Agyapong, owner of Agypa Care Ltd.

“It’s not a typical nine-to-five and so giving parents that opportunity to drop their kids off earlier or pick them up later without the hassle and stress is important to us.”

The new facility, near the intersection of Walsh Drive West and University Drive West, is currently under construction and was given final approval from the City of Lethbridge earlier this week.

“We’ve been working on this project for five years now and there’s been a lot of big steps that we’ve had to take,” Agyapong said.

She said the 24-hour centre will offer part-time, drop-in, emergency, evenings and weekend hours.

Long overdue

It’s an option Tasha Overeem says is long overdue in the city.

“I work in health care and trying to find child care that starts before 7 is so hard,” said Overeem.

“I had to find somebody to take my son at 5:30 in the morning and she was the only daycare that I could get so having this new centre is absolutely amazing to see.”

The child-care centre will also offer respite care for children with disabilities. Agyapong says it’s the only facility south of Calgary with a dedicated space.

Once construction is complete this fall, the centre will have 210 licensed spaces for children.

“We know that the need for the community is really significant with all of the new grants and funding that the government is providing as well,” she said.

“There are new restrictions in place and things that are making it difficult for parents to find services. Some of the parents that we speak to have been on waitlists for up to two years at a time.”

Growing demand

The centre comes at a time where demand in the city continues to grow.

A report to the City of Lethbridge in 2024 showed there was a shortage of 620 spaces.

“There is a lot of unregulated child care out there,” explained Cheryl Hatten, chair of the school of human services at Lethbridge Polytechnic.

“There’s a lot of people who babysit in their homes, which is then a lower cost and so people looking for a lower cost alternative might go to an unregulated child-care space as opposed to a regulated childcare space.”

“However, now that there are the affordability grants, which makes child care much more affordable for everyone, maybe that gap will start to narrow.”

Early childhood education programs

At the same time as high demand for space, Hatten says the Early Childhood Education program is seeing an increase in enrolment.

“We have high numbers coming into our program in the fall,” said Hatten.

“It’s mid-July and we already have a waitlist, so we’re looking at higher than normal numbers.”

The new centre will feature an open play concept rather than dedicated areas to increase the child-led play aspect, according to Agyapong.

“Our real goal, especially for families, is to provide that secure and safe environment for kids and that opportunity for parents to access childcare whenever they need it,” she said.

“The centre will just be a relief that parents have to come to so that they don’t have to stress about finding child care whenever they need it.”

Construction is expected to be complete by the fall.

Agyapong says spaces are starting to fill up, but room is still available. To register or learn more visit here.