UVic makes top employer list

Affordable child care close to campus provides huge benefit for students, employees

There are a lot of things people love about working at UVic—the beautiful campus surrounded by forest and a short walk to the beach, the friendly atmosphere with world-class facilities and the extended benefits that make work-life balance more than just talk: it’s part of the culture.

Making child care affordable and accessible

It’s also a place that supports families, and UVic Child Care Services is a perfect example of that. UVic Child Care Director Kim Ainsworth has been front and centre in efforts to improve both access and affordability for families whose parents work or study at the university.

After diligently working with the BC Government for several months, Kim Ainsworth secured entry into ChildCareBC, enabling her to provide child care to families for $10 a day. Informing the families of children in their care was a career highlight for her. “I see how our families are working to make ends meet and I jumped at the chance to make our child care services more affordable,” she says.

With the new fee structure, UVic families saw their child care fees reduced to no more than $200 per month. It’s a welcome change, particularly now, at a time when many families are struggling with the rising costs of living.

Expanding child care spaces – Queenswood Campus

Demand for child care spaces currently exceeds supply—both in Victoria and throughout the province—and the university continues to expand programs and services, with new spaces opening on the Queenswood Campus, close to the main campus, in spring 2024. The new facility will add 37 new child care spaces, increasing capacity to 153.

“All of these efforts add up to improved access for our community. My job is honestly a joy because of the skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate educators I have the honour of working alongside at UVic Child Care Services, and the amazing children and families we are privileged to spend time with.”

— Kim Ainsworth, UVic Child Care Director

It’s the passion and dedication of people like Kim and so many others across campus working to continuously improve services for the campus community that makes UVic a great place to work.

BC Top Employer

For the third year in a row, UVic has been named one of BC’s top employers, recognizing our role as an industry leader in offering an exceptional place to work.

The competition recognizes the top 100+ employers in each province or region. UVic was among eight universities in BC to be honoured.

Here are some of the reasons UVic was selected as one of BC's Top Employers (2024):

• UVic encourages employees to continue their education with tuition subsidies for courses related and not directly related to their current position -- a number of in-house training initiatives are also offered, including mentoring and leadership development programs
• UVic offers employees subsidized memberships to its onsite fitness facilities that feature tennis, squash and badminton courts, a climbing centre, a multi-purpose field house and sports therapy clinic -- and features a range of specialized inclusive programming, including wheelchair sports, blind soccer, adapted climbing, inclusive dance, and more
• UVic helps employees plan for the future with retirement planning assistance services, along with generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan -- and employees may be able to take advantage of phased-in retirement work options

BC’s Top Employers are chosen by Mediacorp Canada Inc., which also coordinates the annual competitions for Canada’s Top 100 Employers, Top Diversity Employers and Canada’s Greenest Employers. UVic has been recognized as a Best Diversity Employer for 12 years in a row and as a Greenest Employer nine times.

Read more about BC’s Top Employers