CAMPBELL RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT
First of the District's New Child Care Centres Opens

On a joyous Friday, April 12, we marked a significant milestone with the grand opening of the Ripple Rock Child Care Centre. This building is the first of the newly constructed and district-operated child care centres to reach completion.

This ambitious project kicked off when we applied for funding in November 2021. The district secured $8.1 million through the ChildCare BC New Spaces Fund to create 210 new licensed before- and after-school care spaces in April 2022. Groundbreaking for construction began in the summer of 2023, and child care services have been provided in temporary spaces within each school since September 2023.

The construction of these centres is the district's largest construction project since the opening of Ripple Rock Elementary School in 2005, with all funding provided by the government and no added cost to the school district. Each centre, designed to accommodate 24 children at a time under the supervision of two adults, has been built using a uniform design to maximize cost efficiency and streamline maintenance.

To start the ceremony, Cory Cliffe of the Wei Wai Kum Nation and president and co-founder of Seven Generation Stewards blessed the building and provided a traditional welcome song.

As the ceremony continued SD72 Board Chair Kat Eddy shared her excitement: "We are thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of this centre. Together with the ministry, we're proud to complement the efforts of our community's child care providers, present more care options for working parents and additional work hours for our education assistants."

The innovative staffing model, developed in partnership with CUPE 723 President Andrea Craddock, uses educational assistants to staff the facilities, providing these primarily part-time employees with livable wages and proving the powerful collaboration that has been essential to this project's success.

Chelsea Frederickson, a parent who benefits from the new Ripple Rock Child Care Centre, recently shared her relief at the centre's opening: ""Having child care available at my boys' school has been an absolute game-changer for my family. I was on every single list, but there were no openings anywhere. As a single mom with three kids, having access to after-school care solved this worry and has allowed me to work an extra 15 hours a week, which is huge for our household."

Michele Babchuk, MLA for North Island, also underscored the importance of the project: "This new child care centre will bring much-needed service for families in Campbell River," said Babchuk. "Offering child care on school grounds gives parents peace of mind knowing their children will be supported with learning opportunities in a safe environment and through the collaborative work between the school district and CUPE."

The Ripple Rock Child Care Centre is only the beginning. The Ocean Grove Child Care Centre will be finishing construction any day and the district is eagerly anticipating the completion of additional centres at Pinecrest, Cedar, Georgia Park, Sandowne, and Quadra Island (which will be operated in partnership with Quadra Children's Centre) by August 2024. 

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who have supported this project - from the Ministry of Education and Child Care, CUPE Local 723, City of Campbell River, Strathcona Regional District, and the Early Years community - for their unwavering support and dedication that have been instrumental in turning this vision into a reality, helping to serve urgent needs identified by our community.