More than 100 new child-care spaces for school-age kids are now open inside three elementary schools in Chilliwack.
The Chilliwack School District opened 102 before- and after-school child-care spaces this week at Greendale, Sardis and Unsworth elementary schools, using existing space at each site.
The announcement came during a press conference at Greendale Elementary Community School on Thursday, Sept. 5.
"We know child care on school grounds just makes sense," said Dan Coulter, MLA for Chilliwack.
He added that it "makes life easier for families by providing one convenient location for busy parents. By reducing drop-off and pick-up locations, families are spending less time in traffic and more time on the things that matter most."
Chilliwack was one of three school districts in B.C. that was selected for the new pilot program, which was announced back in May. Nanaimo-Ladysmith and Nechako Lakes school districts were also chosen.
The initiative will gather critical information to assist with future expansion of this model into other districts, the province stated in the May press release.
Here in Chilliwack, the new spaces are being created with $720,000 from the Ministry of Education and Child Care over two years. The project uses existing school space, such as multi-purpose rooms and libraries, as well as school district resources and staff, to provide before- and after-school care.
In addition to these spaces, the district received more than $206,000 through the New Spaces Fund to create 32 new child care spaces at Cultus Lake Community School, including 16 spaces for children 30 months to kindergarten age, and 16 additional school-age spaces.
"The Chilliwack School District appreciates government's ongoing commitment to expanding child-care spaces on school grounds," said Willow Reichelt, chair of the board of education. "This is aligned with our district's vision of providing a continuum of care that is inclusive, accessible and reliable. The partnership with the province has helped us make significant progress toward our goal of providing before- and after-school care in every Chilliwack elementary school by 2025."
The district is "on track" to have before- and after-school care open at all elementary schools in Chilliwack, said Nicole Driscoll, principal of early learning and child care with the district.
Thanks to the Ministry of Education and Child Care, the district has made "significant strides" in expanding this type of child care, she added.
"I'm proud to share that we've expanded from 10 sites to 19 sites that have before- and after-school care on school grounds across our 21 elementary schools. These nine new sites have increased the number of child-care spaces on school grounds by 268 spaces providing more families with access to essential care in their communities," Driscoll said.
With the new facilities, families benefit from affordable child care fees through the province's fee-reduction program, which reduces the cost of child care by as much as $900 per child per month.
