A standalone child care centre that can accommodate 36 children opened Saturday on Mayne Island.
The Family Place is the island’s first standalone centre and was built after the Mayne Island Early Childhood Society received $1.3 million from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund in 2020.
“This cozy centre will lend vibrancy and sustainability to our community, and the parents of 28 kids on our wait list are so grateful they will receive quality reliable child care,” Meaghan Feduck, chair of the Mayne Island Early Childhood Society said in a news release.
“So many people in our community have been involved in building the Family Place, and the kids are so excited for the opening after watching the construction day after day. Their handprints are even moulded in cement at the entrance.”
As a part of its grand opening, the centre invited families to tour the new facility.
In a June 2020 FAQ about the project, the Mayne Island Early Childhood Society said there were 30 children under the age of six living on Mayne Island with that number expected to grow.
“When we moved to Mayne Island from Vancouver a few years ago, there were about 900 residents. Now there are about 1,300 people, and young families continue to move here,” Sandra Henderson, a Mayne Island mother said in a news release.
“My two-year-old has part-time child care in the incredible nature-based program, and after my second maternity leave, the Family Place will allow me to return to work. It is also a community hub for families to connect.”
The ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund is a joint initiative between the provincial and federal government to invest $300 million to create new licensed child care spaces throughout the province.
“Family Place is an excellent example of how we are partnering with local communities through our ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund to help create child care spaces where they are needed most, as we work to build a future where affordable, accessible, quality, inclusive child care is a core service families can rely on,” Grace Lore, B.C.’s minister of state for child care said in a news release.
Laura Brougham
