Today is a great day for students and members of the BCIT community who rely on child care. The provincial government announced this morning a nearly $11.3-million investment in child care programs in BC with $500,000 alone going to the BCIT Student Association’s Child Care program. The new funding will allow the SA to double its current available spaces on campus in the 30-month-old to school-age category from 25 to 50, and create an additional 12 spaces for infants and toddlers.
MLA Stephanie Cadieux, (Minister of Family and Child Development) alongside Richard T Lee (MLA for Burnaby North) and BCITSA President Dylan Smith, visited the existing SA Child Care space on the Burnaby campus to deliver the good news firsthand to a room full of smiling children and members of the BCIT community. This is a welcome announcement for those in our community who rely on this essential service to succeed in their studies.
“Finding quality child care is key for parents who are heading back to work or pursuing higher education or training,” says Cadieux. BCIT, with its famously heavy course load, is no exception. This expansion, she added, and others like it across the province, “will bring peace of mind to thousands of B.C. parents who can drop their kids off in the morning knowing they will be well cared for in a rich learning environment.”
The Student Association’s Child Care program is currently the only service of its kind on campus, and has seen an increase in applications to the program every year with the spots filling up very fast. “The BCITSA Child Care Centre already has a great reputation in the community, so I know these additional spaces will be in high demand,” says Lee.
The expansion will be situated alongside the existing SA-operated child care facility in SE41 and will result in significant renovations to the building, including an indoor learning centre and additional outdoor playground space. The project is expected to be completed June 2017.
To find out more about BCITSA Child Care, visit: www.bcitsa.ca/student-services/child-care/
