School district offers child care assistance
Cariboo Press - Kelowna Capital News
February 1, 2008

The Central Okanagan Board of Education is set to partner with local organizations to provide child care spaces in area schools, provided the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development comes through with grants.

Last October, the ministry told the province's school districts they could apply for up to $50,000 per room, to convert existing public school space into child care facilities.

On Wednesday, the board approved partnerships with the YM-YWCA to operate a Kindercare program at Quigley Elementary, with Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs to operate a group day care at Glenrosa Middle School, and with the Clubhouse to operate a group day care at Raymer Elementary School.

The school district has applied to the government for $50,000 per project.

"We put out a call for proposals and invited child care providers from throughout the Central Okanagan to partner with us in these new projects and a number of applications came forward," said superintendent of schools, Mike Roberts. "We chose three that could best meet the needs of the community but that also matched up with what we had available."…

He added there is a big need for child care programs in the Central Okanagan.

"If the school district can partner with private organizations or community groups in providing that service to parents, that's certainly something we want to do."

He said at least some of the new spaces will be made available to the general public…