Child care centres boost quality and safety

105 facilities get support from Columbia Basin Trust

Children and families around the Columbia Basin benefit from a range of childcare opportunities. Now, 133 projects are helping to make many facilities even safer and higher quality with support from Columbia Basin Trust. In total, these activities will enhance 2,646 existing child care spaces and create up to 17 new spaces at 105 centres in the Basin.

“Supporting healthy childhood development and activities for children is important to the Trust, which is why we have helped child care centres address their needs in a variety of ways over the years,” said Ulli Mueller, Senior Manager, Delivery of Benefits, Columbia Basin Trust. “We’re pleased they can now take this step of purchasing new equipment and doing small improvements, which aids them in their efforts to improve the quality and safety of their operations.”

With this funding, facilities are buying equipment like children’s furniture, specialized learning equipment to support children with special needs and encourage an inclusive environment, and storage units. The funding may also be used for improvements like health and safety upgrades, including building fences, installing shade structures, or improving washrooms.

To see all approved new equipment projects, click here.
To see all approved small improvement projects, click here.

Since 2017, the Trust’s Child Care Support Program has helped maintain and create new child care spaces in the Basin, train Early Childhood Educators and provide advisory services to child care providers—with impressive results. See current numbers at ourtrust.org/childcare.

Here are a few of the recent projects:

Canal Flats stimulates the senses

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The Village of Canal Flats Daycare is installing storage units and purchasing rugs and play equipment, including a water sensory table, sand boxes, foam climber set and mud kitchen. This will improve 40 child care spaces.

“The play equipment will encourage children to learn using multiple senses, which helps build the cognitive skills that we use when we solve problems and create novel ideas,” said Ashley Nielsen, Manager. The mud kitchen, for example, enables “open‐ended mud play, which encourages creative thinking and allows free creation without fear of making mistakes, contributing to a child’s sense of self and helping to build confidence.”

Golden focuses on play

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The Golden Community Resources Society is purchasing indoor and outdoor play equipment for its Mountain Child Early Learning and Care Centre and installing shade structures over the outdoor play area. This will improve 77 child care spaces.

“The new equipment will broaden the breadth of developmental experiences for our children in care,” said Arunveer Kamboj, Director. “These new resources will help to foster an enriched environment that promotes independence, learning, exploration, communication, curiosity, open‐ended play and a spirit of inquiry.”