Hannah Wright, Vanderhoof Omineca Express

District staff will be presenting an idea to the Integris Credit Union Board of Directors next month regarding turning the current credit union building into a childcare facility.

Vanderhoof mayor, Gerry Thiessen will be making the presentation along with the district recreation director Ashley Kuznak-Raby, after it has been determined that the number of children that require childcare services in Vanderhoof, outweigh the facilities available in town.

“She [Kuznak-Raby] came to us with a concern regarding youth and the needs that we have in our community … so we’re going to ask the credit union if we can talk to them and find out what opportunity there is to use the building or acquire it in the future,” said Thiessen….

In a report prepared by Kuznak-Raby, it stated that there are only 67 day care spaces and 10 pre-school spaces available in Vanderhoof for an estimated number of 500 children between the ages of zero and six in town.

As a result, a number of local children are forced to be placed in non-licensed childcare facilities.

A study completed by Success by 6, an early childhood development initiative, revealed that the key reasons for families in Vanderhoof not using childcare services in town are: a lack of available childcare spots, facilities available are too expensive and due to a lack of quality or licensed facilities.

As well as a lack of day care and pre-school facilities in town, there is also a recognized lack of proper facilities for before and after school recreation programs, generally aimed for children aged between eight and 11….