Child-care groups are calling on the Manitoba government to boost the creation of new child-care spaces, saying at the current rate of expansion, it will take 39 years to meet the commitment of 23,000 new preschool spaces.

"Manitoba has moved fast to improve child-care affordability for parents, but not all families are lucky to have a regulated child-care space," said Susan Prentice, a University of Manitoba sociology professor and spokesperson for the Manitoba Child Care Association.

Only 1,654…