'Anxious time' for day care: Most schools in district are facing a 'space crunch'
The Record (New Westminster)
16 Sep 2006
Alfie Lau

EXCERPT

The Westminster Children's After School Society, which operates the before- and after-school day care at F.W. Howay Elementary, told school trustees Tuesday night that they may have to move from their current room to a basement room at the school.

Cam Milliken represented the society at the open school board meeting held at Queensborough Middle School and said he was told the school was thinking of expanding its library into space the day care was using.

"We are here tonight because this is an anxious time and we are concerned with the F.W. Howay issue," Milliken said.

The news caught superintendent John Woudzia and school trustee Michael Ewen off guard.

"I'm a little surprised to hear about Howay," Ewen said, asking Woudzia if he knew anything.

"I'm a little perplexed myself," Woudzia said. "I talked to the principal ... at 2 p.m. today ... and didn't hear anything."

Ewen told The Record Thursday afternoon that the society may have been premature in thinking the day care would be relocated.

"I don't know where they got their information," Ewen said. "We talked to [the principal] and she said they were thinking about moving things around."

Ewen said most schools in the district are facing a space crunch because New Westminster is one of only five districts province wide that is growing. And while schools may need to take back space for classrooms, he reiterated the district's commitment to providing quality day care to parents.

"The society shouldn't be worried about losing any space in the district. They will have school space," Ewen said. "They just don't have a guarantee of the same space all the time.

"They will have space at Howay. Period. End of discussion."

Ewen said the district's commitment to quality in-school day-care facilities cannot be questioned because the district offers the space rent-free to the society at eight schools. When the schools need space back for classrooms, they work with the society cooperatively to find alternative space.

"Our first commitment has to be be educating our students," Ewen said, "but we understand how important child care is to parents."

Milliken also commented on the society's facilities at Herbert Spencer being taken back for classroom space.

"This situation caught us blindsided and off guard," Milliken said of the Spencer day care. "It has caused some concern for us, caused some problems for parents and caused a lot of anxious moments. Child care is a hot button issue."

Milliken said that while the society learned in July from Spencer principal ... that a multi-purpose room that the day care was using needed to be converted back into a music room, the society had to have provincial licensing inspectors come in to inspect the proposed new day-care facilities.

The new area had been converted from boys' and girls' showers and it wasn't until late August, the last week before school started, that the society learned that space couldn't accommodate the 20 kids it was licensed for.

At an Aug. 30 meeting, the district came up with the short-term solution ....

Trustees voted unanimously to start a task force to look into the day-care situation at all eight facilities the society operates in the district.

Trustees hope to have that task force in place by the end of the month, with an update to be presented at the next school board meeting on Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m....