Chilliwack – Chilliwack School District (SD33) is opening 102 new before- and after-school child care spaces. The new spaces are being created with $720,000 from the Ministry of Education and Child Care over two years for a new initiative, which uses existing school space, as well as school district resources and staff, to provide before- and after-school care without additional pickups and dropoffs.
“The Chilliwack School District appreciates government’s ongoing commitment to expanding child care spaces on school grounds,” said Willow Reichelt, chair, SD33. “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 new child care spaces at Greendale, Sardis and Unsworth elementary schools are using existing, shared spaces in the schools. The district also benefited from more than $202,000 through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund to transform the school spaces into accessible, licensed child care spaces.
In addition to the new school-age child care, 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. This funding is supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the 2021-22 to 2025-26 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
“We’re continuing to create new child care spaces and find new ways to deliver the spaces that families need most,” said Dan Coulter, MLA for Chilliwack. “Child care on school grounds makes life easier for families by providing one convenient location for busy parents. By reducing dropoff and pickup locations, families are spending less time in traffic and more time on the things that matter most.”
“Families in Chilliwack are juggling work, home life and many other priorities, so these convenient, new child care spaces mean one less thing for busy parents to worry about,” said Kelli Paddon, MLA for Chilliwack-Kent. “Children attending these local schools move from class time into child care in familiar spaces, and parents know they are safe and well cared for. I’m proud that our government is providing Chilliwack families with more options for child care that meets their needs.”
The new program will be evaluated with the goal of expanding it to other districts, helping more families in the province.
