Officials from the Ministry of Education and Child Care, School District No. 6 (Rocky Mountain, SD6), Columbia Basin Trust and partners broke ground on a new $8.8 million childcare facility to be constructed on the land at Marysville Elementary School.
In the summer of 2022, SD6, in partnership with Summit Community Services Society and Columbia Basin Trust, made an application to the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund. The District received approval in January 2023. The proposed facility would see 148 child care spaces for children ages 0 to 10. The plan is to include 24 Infant Toddler spaces, 100 pre-school spaces, and 24 after-school care spaces.
Amber Byklum, Board of Education Chairperson for SD6 states, “We want to thank our partners, Summit Community Services Society, Columbia Basin Trust and the City of Kimberley for their support of this project. The District is grateful to the Ministry for approving and funding this new child care facility”.
“We know that safe and affordable child care is important to people across the region; that’s why we’re supporting local efforts to create more child care spaces—enabling residents to grow their careers and families, while staying local,” said Johnny Strilaeff, President and CEO, Columbia Basin Trust. “This will be a spectacular addition to an area that has so much to offer. Congratulations to all on breaking ground on this much-needed facility.”
“These 148 new childcare spaces are a game changer for our growing community, addressing the barriers identified in the City’s 2019 Childcare Gap Analysis,” said Don McCormick, Mayor of Kimberley. “Over the last 5-year census period, the 0-10 age group has grown by 300 children. Congratulations to all involved, and the City looks forward to supporting in any way we can.”
“Last year, the Board of Education proactively supported the District Administration team by hiring a Director for Early Learning and Child Care. Crystal MacLeod has been working tirelessly to build strong partnerships with third-party providers like Summit Community Services Society and the District team has been supporting this application along the way,” said Karen Shipka, Superintendent, School District 6. “We are aware of the extensive waitlists for child care in the Kimberley area. This facility will help to address some of those concerns for families.”
