Daycare in Willoughby, Clayton & Silver Valley: Waitlists and What It Costs

by Alex Dunbar

Toddlers laughing and holding a colourful play parachute with a caregiver at a daycare

If you're moving to Willoughby, Clayton or Silver Valley with a baby or a toddler, there's a good chance the house is the easy part. Finding a licensed daycare spot is often harder, and it doesn't care what your closing date is.

These 3 neighbourhoods have something in common: they're where young families land. Willoughby in Langley Township, Clayton in the Cloverdale area of Surrey and Silver Valley in Maple Ridge all have lots of newer homes and a lot of kids. That's great for playgrounds and terrible for daycare waitlists.

Here's how the system actually works in BC right now, what the provincial programs knock off your bill, and what I'd do before you move in. Every program figure below was checked on November 3, 2026. These change, so confirm on gov.bc.ca before you budget around them.

The Short Version

Start contacting licensed daycares near your new home as soon as you've firmed up your purchase, not after you move. You'll likely end up on several waitlists. The Province's fee reduction comes off your monthly bill automatically at participating centres, and the Affordable Child Care Benefit can take more off if your family income qualifies. A $10 a Day spot is the best deal going, but no new centres are joining that program right now.

How Daycare Waitlists Work in BC

There's no central provincial waitlist for daycare. Each licensed provider keeps and manages its own. The Province says exactly that on its $10 a Day FAQ, and it's true of daycare in general.

What that means for you, in general terms:

You'll probably be on more than one list. Most families add their name to several centres at once, because there's no way to know which one opens a spot first.
Some centres charge a waitlist or registration fee. It varies by provider, and it isn't set by the Province, so ask before you pay anything.
Siblings often get priority. Many centres move families who already have a child enrolled to the front. If you're the new family in a busy area, you're usually behind them.

I can't give you a waitlist length for any of these neighbourhoods, because no public source tracks it, and anyone who quotes you one is guessing. Ask each centre directly how long their infant and toddler lists are and how often spots actually open. Their answer tells you more than any online average would.

What the Fee Reduction Takes Off Your Bill

The Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative (CCFRI) is the big one. The Province pays participating licensed providers to lower and hold their fees, and the saving shows up as a lower monthly bill. You don't apply and there's no income test.

Here are the maximum full-time monthly reductions gov.bc.ca listed as of November 3, 2026. For a child under 36 months, it's up to $900 a month in group care or $600 in family care, and that's where most of the savings sit. From 3 years old to kindergarten, it drops to $545 in group care or $500 in family care.

Once your child is in school it gets smaller: $320 for kindergarten in either type of care, and for grade 1 to age 12, $115 in group care or $145 in family and in-home care. Preschool carries a $95 reduction.

Source: Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative, Information for Families, Province of British Columbia, page last updated July 21, 2026.

There's a floor, too. Fees won't be reduced below $200 a month (or $10 a day) for full-time care, or $140 a month for part-time care, with limited exceptions.

The catch is that the reduction comes off whatever the centre charges. A centre with high base fees can still cost you a lot after the reduction, so always ask for the fee before and after CCFRI. The Province also has a fee reduction estimator for part-time care on its site. Once you have a real fee, add it to your housing budget in my mortgage calculator so you see the full monthly picture.

The Affordable Child Care Benefit

The Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB) is the income-tested piece, and it's the one families skip because they assume they won't qualify. Generally, families earning up to $111,000 a year may qualify, and families above that can still apply if they have significant deductions for family size or a child with support needs.

The maximum benefit goes to families with an adjusted annual income of up to $45,000 for licensed care, and higher incomes can get a partial benefit. The benefit can't be more than what your provider charges. Unlike CCFRI, you do have to apply for this one.

My advice: if you're anywhere near the $111,000 line, run the government's estimator. It takes a few minutes and you may be leaving money on the table.

Tools & Resources

Find the areas that fit how your family lives and compare them side by side.

Neighbourhood Quiz Compare Neighbourhoods Langley Relocation Guide Surrey Relocation Guide

$10 a Day Spots: The Best Deal, With a Pause

A $10 a Day ChildCareBC centre works differently from the rest. You don't apply to the Province for a spot. You contact the centre, and access depends on its licensed capacity and its own waitlist.

Here's the part to know before you count on one. In Budget 2026, released February 17, 2026, the Province paused enrolment of new providers into the $10 a Day program during what it calls a stabilization period. Families and providers already in the program see no changes. So the existing $10 a Day centres keep running, but there won't be new ones joining for now. The list of current centres is on gov.bc.ca, sorted by region.

The federal-provincial funding behind all of this is in place for the next few years: BC and the federal government have signed an extension of the Canada-wide child care agreement for 2026-27 to 2030-31, according to a provincial release from May 11, 2026.

How to Search for Licensed Care

Child care room with small wooden chairs, a low table, learning boards and toy shelves

There are 2 places I'd start, and they do different jobs.

The ChildCareBC map on gov.bc.ca lets you filter by type of care and age group, and shows whether a facility takes part in the $10 a Day or fee reduction programs. That's your shortlist tool.

Fraser Health licenses child care in all 3 cities through its Community Care Facilities Licensing program. Licensing officers inspect facilities and look into complaints. Fraser Health posts public lists of licensed facilities by region on its child care page, and you can contact licensing if you want to ask about a facility's history.

Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood

Willoughby is in Langley Township and falls under Fraser Health's Fraser South list. It's grown fast, so supply has chased demand for years. If you're buying here, cast a wide net: Walnut Grove and the Langley City side can be a reasonable drive on the way to work. My Willoughby neighbourhood guide covers the rest of the area.

Clayton is in Surrey, in the Cloverdale area, also on the Fraser South list. Being right at the Langley border is a hidden advantage here, because a centre in Willoughby or Cloverdale may be just as convenient as one in Clayton itself. Search across the border.

Silver Valley is in Maple Ridge, on Fraser Health's Fraser North list. It's up on the north side of town, so a daycare near your work or along your commute route through central Maple Ridge may make more sense than one in the neighbourhood itself. My neighbourhood compare tool is a quick way to weigh these areas side by side.

What I'd Do Before You Move

Caregiver sharing a meal with young children at a table in a child care centre

Once your subjects are removed, I'd start calling. Get on the lists closest to home and on 1 or 2 near your work, ask each centre whether it takes part in CCFRI and what its fee is before and after the reduction, and check whether you might qualify for the ACCB.

Then think about a backup. A licensed family child care in someone's home is often easier to get into than a large group centre, and it still qualifies for fee reductions at its own rate.

As a parent of 2 young kids, I'd make these calls the same week the deal firms up, not after the move.

Who This Is Not For

If you need full-time infant care starting the week you move in, and you have no family nearby to cover a gap, don't build your plan around getting a spot in one of these 3 neighbourhoods on short notice. Either push your move date back to give the waitlists time, or look at an established area with older housing stock, such as Langley City or central Maple Ridge, where you may find more existing licensed centres within a short drive. And if you're mainly after before- and after-school care for older kids, this isn't your main problem: talk to the school district, since the Province is putting its new money toward care on school grounds. My guide to the best areas in Langley for families is a good place to compare your options.

FAQ

How long are daycare waitlists in Langley, Surrey or Maple Ridge?

No public source tracks waitlist length. Each licensed provider manages its own list, so ask each centre directly how long its list is for your child's age and how often spots open.

How much does the BC fee reduction save on daycare?

Up to $900 a month per child for full-time group care under 36 months, as listed on gov.bc.ca on November 3, 2026. Amounts are lower for older children and family care. It comes off your bill automatically at participating centres.

How do I get a $10 a Day daycare spot?

Contact a participating centre directly. Families don't apply to the Province, and each centre manages its own waitlist. No new providers are joining the program during the stabilization period announced in Budget 2026.

Do I qualify for the Affordable Child Care Benefit?

Generally, families earning up to $111,000 a year may qualify, and some families above that can still apply. Use the Province's estimator to check.

Do I have to apply for the BC child care fee reduction?

No. Participating licensed providers take it off your monthly bill automatically, and there's no income test.

Who licenses daycares in Surrey, Langley and Maple Ridge?

Fraser Health licenses child care in all 3 cities through its Community Care Facilities Licensing program, and it posts public lists of licensed facilities by region.