Vernon celebrates addition of two new child care facilities
Photo above (L-R): Jeremy Welder, CEO, BGC Okanagan, Marlon Chow, Harwinder Sandhu, MLA, Vernon-Monashee, Emerson Beerstra, and Victor Cumming, Mayor, City of Vernon, participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony for one of Vernon’s new child care facilities on September 7, 2022.
The Province of British Columbia, City of Vernon, and BGC Okanagan are proud to announce that families with young children in the Greater Vernon area will soon have access to more licensed child care spaces thanks to the construction of two new facilities.
A celebration was held today at one of the facilities, located near Lakers Clubhouse in the Okanagan Landing area. Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu and Mayor Victor Cumming were joined by representatives from BGC Okanagan and a number of special guests for the ceremony and a tour.
“I am excited for Vernon families as we celebrate the grand opening of two new centrally located child care centres with nearly 200 spaces,” said MLA Sandhu. “Since 2018, our ChildCareBC investments have made a big difference for Vernon families, employers and businesses, and now more families will have access to child care that will enable parents to work or pursue educational goals.”
The Lakers facility and a second facility located at the Recreation Complex on 35th Avenue are just a few weeks away from completion. Once both sites are fully operational, nearly 200 new licensed child care spaces will be available for children between the infant/toddler stage and kindergarten.
“The City is extremely grateful for the development of these facilities and the addition of these child care spaces to support the needs of Greater Vernon families,” said Mayor Cumming. “It is because of strong partnerships like this one between the Province, the City, and a local service provider that we can continue to foster the development and growth of a healthy, vibrant, family-oriented community.”
The City of Vernon contributed the land for each of the facilities and received a total of $7 million in grant funding for the development of the buildings. A total of $6 million came from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund and $1 million from the UBCM Community Child Care Space Creation Program. Both facilities will be owned by the City of Vernon and will be operated through an agreement by BGC Okanagan.
“We are so excited to continue our partnership with the City of Vernon on these two new child care facilities. The new facilities will help us to continue to provide high-quality programs to families in the Vernon area,” said Jeremy Welder, CEO of BGC Okanagan.
Residents who are looking for information about program registration for these new spaces can contact BGC Okanagan by email at [email protected] or by phone at 250-542-3121.
The City of Vernon would like to thank the Province of B.C. and UBCM for their generous contributions to the facilities, as well as Stantec Consulting, Sawchuk Developments, and ANR Construction Ltd for their work to bring the facilities to life.