A new childcare centre officially opened in Chilliwack on Friday.
The Unique Get Together Society opened its first daycare centre called Whole Child Childcare on Nov. 10 with a focus on supporting kids with special needs and Indigenous children. The centre offers holistic, culturally inclusive and nature-based programming.
They receive the Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative by the provincial government to help reduce the cost of parent fees, said daycare manager Lousha Angel.
“The kids that we get, their parents need to have that break every day. They are kids with special needs, they are one-parent families,” said society founder and CEO Debra Abraham.
The society received a $1.2-million ChildCareBC New Spaces grant from the province in April 2022 to renovate a house on First Avenue near Broadway Street in Chilliwack. The place was completely gutted and renovations included a wheelchair ramp, automatic doors and accessible play structures for all children.
READ MORE: ‘Bringing every child together’: New childcare centre in Chilliwack will be accessible, inclusive
“The growing Chilliwack community is benefiting from a new inclusive and accessible child care centre that can support children of all abilities and all cultures,” said Grace Lore, Minister of State for Child Care. “By partnering with not-for-profit organizations such as the Unique Get Together Society, we’re able to deliver the types of early learning and child care experiences that families want and need.”
Originally, the centre was to open in the fall of 2022, but due to supply shortages it was delayed a year.
The centre cares for children age 18 months to five years and they started welcoming little ones around the beginning of October. They have space for eight toddlers (18 to 36 months) and 20 kids age three to five years.
Unique Get Together Society is a B.C.-based, non-profit organization that provides services for Indigenous, marginalized and underserved communities, but Abraham said everyone is welcome.
“It’s all inclusive, very multicultural,” she said.
“We are called Whole Child Childcare because our philosophy considers the body, mind and spirit with heart-led programming,” Angel said. “We include Indigenous teachings all throughout the centre. We offer year-round immersive nature-based play with kids planting and growing foods, so children have a connection to the Earth, and we celebrate and learn about all the cultures of our diverse families.”
Renovations to the 69-year-old house included a 2,000-square-foot addition at the rear of the home. Inside, the walls are painted green, wooden furniture is found throughout the centre, and nature-themed toys, books and crafts fill the space.
The kids do heart-centred meditation daily and yoga, and the calming space has a profound affect on kids with autism, Angel added.
They have a nine on staff, plus two support staff.
“We wanted to make sure they’re not just supported, but included in their day-to-day activity,” Abraham said.
“My wife and I really appreciate the fact that Indigenous learning is included in the program so that our son can have an early introduction to his and my wife’s culture,” said Scott Irvine. “We really feel that this program is best aligned with the way that we want to raise our son and we really appreciate the nature-based approach. This is something that is really important to us and it is also something that is quite hard to find being offered in child care.”
NOTE: An earlier version of this story stated Whole Child Childcare was a $10-a-day childcare centre. The Progress regrets the error and any confusion it may have caused.
