Frank PEEBLES / Prince George Citizen
CNC Childcare Centre supporters had to hear the college board say it four times before they allowed themselves to erupt in cheers.
Since January, closing the daycare has been actively discussed as CNC staff and board members wrestled with a $1.2 million cut they had to perform on their operating budget. Those deliberations came to a head on Friday at the board’s annual general meeting. First, board chair Bob Murray then acting-president Bryn Kulmatycki said other options had been found to cover the cost. It wasn’t until treasurer Penny Fahlman gave her report on the shortfall measures that the ovation finally broke free from the 40-or-so assembled childcare staff, union representatives, Early Childhood Education students, and children.
“There has been an awful lot of work done to keep this very valuable resource intact for the college,” said Murray. “There is still more [input] coming in. This is a real community issue and there are options on the table.”…
Robert Chavarie, executive director of the CNC Students’ Union, said “The daycare centre at CNC provides valuable childcare services for the school and community and plays a vital component in the Early Childhood Education program at CNC. For more than 30 years, the integrated daycare/ECE centre has been an institution at CNC, paid for, in part, by students at CNC in the form of a small fee collected by the Students’ Union. We have been contributing to the daycare centre for years. It would have been terrible to see it gone. Having a high-quality, accessible, childcare facility on campus is a huge service for our community.”
The college’s incoming president Henry Reiser said he, too, was pleased with the move.
“I really value daycare,” he said. “It’s an important part of life for students, for staff. This program [integrated with ECE] operates at a very high level.”….