Modular child care centres coming to Kitchener, will create 176 new spaces

What is a “modular child care centre” and how could it help tackle a shortage of spaces in Waterloo Region? CTV’s Alexandra Holyk reports.

Waterloo Region is getting more than 175 new licensed child care spaces.

Those will be split between two modular child care centres located at Kitchener schools.

The difference between a modular child care centre and a standard build is the construction. Most of the parts are built off-site and assembled at the final location, with an emphasis on speed and flexibility.

“It’s an efficient way to create new child care spaces,” said Barb Cardow, the region’s children’s services director. “It takes just a few months for them to build the modular units and then bring them in, so it is more quick and less disruptive at the location.”

The process aims to cut on-site construction time from several months to a few weeks. Modulable, a Quebec-based company, will build both centres in Kitchener.

One will be located at Smithson Public School and operated by RisingOaks Early Learning Ontario, while the other will be set up at Howard Robertson Public School and run by The Healing of the Seven Generations.

The facility at Howard Robertson will also be the region’s second Indigenous-led child care centre.

Renata Richards, the executive director for the Ga’nigǫhi:yo Indigenous Child Care and Family Centre, said the organization was honoured to be chosen.

“With this new location being more accessible, we hope to help even more families that live in the Kitchener area bring the culture back to their children,” she said in a media release.

The modular model allows operators to work with the company to design and create a space best suited for their needs and the needs of the children.

“We’re focusing on how can we make this a space that’s welcoming for the children, that’s conducive to learning, particularly in the early years, and includes materials that are sustainable,” said Lori Prospero, the CEO of RisingOaks Early Learning.

“The entire daycare is all about culture,” said Donna Dubie, executive director of The Healing of the Seven Generations. “It’s about coming in there and smelling the medicines, being able to participate in smudging.”

• Waterloo Region on track to create 4,000 funded childcare spaces by 2026 amid growing waitlist
• Region of Waterloo plans to use modular childcare centres to address childcare crisis
• ‘It’s really a systematic failure’: Parents, educators raise concerns over lack of childcare spaces in Stratford, Ont.

The facilities will offer 88 spaces each, funded through the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement. Registration will open on OneList later this year, with the centres expected to open their doors in December.

“Families need child care that is affordable, accessible and located where it can make the biggest difference,” Regional Chair Karen Redman said in the release. “By working with [the Waterloo Region District School Board] and not-for-profit partners, we are creating new spaces in priority communities and using an innovative approach to deliver them efficiently. This is a practical investment that will help more families access the care they need, closer to home.”

The idea for the modular centres stemmed from Manitoba’s “Daycare in a Box” model unveiled in 2024. The Kitchener structures will be the first of their kind in Ontario.

“These go far beyond what portables are,” said Cardow. “They are full child care centres that include several classrooms for the children, office space, kitchen ... washrooms, full plumbing, and they have a playground attached to them for outdoor play.”

Regional council approved $4.4 million to purchase the modular centres in 2025. The cost for child care will be $22 per day, regardless of the age of the children, however, families eligible for subsidies may pay less.