Families in the Similkameen will now have expanded access to quality care for their children in a safe and nurturing environment.
The Nicola-Similkameen School District (SD58) in conjunction with the YMCA, will be holding a grand opening event for the Riverside Early Learning and Child Care Centre in Princeton on June 24. The district will be adding 80 new child care spaces, bringing the total number up to 122 seats.
The centre will be operated by the YCMA BC and will offer a variety of programs for infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children, as well as out-of-school care, with a focus on play-based learning and social development.
鈥淎s the largest provider of licensed child care in the province, YMCA BC knows firsthand how critical the early years are for a child鈥檚 development," YMCA BC child care service director Lynette Mikalishen said.
Funding from the Ministry of Education and Child Care's New Spaces Fund, which was awarded to SD58 in 2023, helped make the facility possible. The fund is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
鈥淎s a district, we are exceptionally grateful that the ministry has invested in rural British Columbia to provide a state-of-the-art child care centre in Princeton," SD58 Superintendent of Schools Courtney Lawrance said. "Children truly are our future, and a solid foundation of early learning supports the long-term vitality of the community."
Lawrance added that the district had "dreamed big" with the vision for the project, and the opening of the centre has made their dream come true.
SD58 board chair Gordan Swan also expressed his gratitude towards the ministry for their continued efforts in making the centre a possibility.
