A new child care facility at Davie Jones Elementary school will provide dozens of families and children in and around Pitt Meadows with convenient child care on school grounds.

“I am excited for busy Pitt Meadows parents and children who will have convenient child care on school grounds, making life easier and providing them with peace of mind knowing their kids are in one place for the whole day,” said Katrina Chen, Minister of State for Child Care. “This gorgeous facility helps deliver on our promise to create new child care spaces, and we just hit a new milestone of 30,500 new child care spaces funded since the launch of ChildCareBC in 2018.”

Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District 42 (SD42) received $2.1 million in 2020 from the Province’s ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund to create a standalone child care facility.

This new child care centre, run by Fundamentals Childcare Centre, is located on the site of Davie Jones Elementary and is open for dozens of families. The centre contains accessible features, including a wheelchair ramp and new high-efficiency mechanical systems. Families will benefit from 59 new child care spaces, consisting of 25 spaces for children aged three to five, 10 spaces for preschool children, and 24 before- and after-school spaces for school-aged children.

“Bringing child care and education together in one ministry is an important step toward bringing child care into the broader learning environment so kids can more easily transition from their early years into the K-12 school system,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education and Child Care. “The opening of this inspiring, modern child care centre at Davie Jones Elementary is a perfect example of how we can work with school districts to create new spaces and better meet the needs of families in communities throughout B.C.”

British Columbia has surpassed 30,500 new child care spaces funded since the launch of ChildCareBC in 2018. These spaces will give parents greater ability to pursue work, school and other opportunities while knowing their children are cared for.

Quotes:

Lisa Beare, MLA for Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows –

“Congratulations to the school district and Fundamentals Childcare Centre on your grand opening. This beautiful brand-new facility will serve our community for generations to come. As a working mother myself, I know how important child care centres are to parents, and I’m so happy that more families in Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge will have access to quality child care with this new centre at Davie Jones Elementary.”

Korleen Carreras, board chair, School District 42 –

“Our district understands the integral role accessible and affordable child care plays in allowing parents and guardians to work, study, and participate in community activities. We are excited to welcome this new facility, which will complement the 10 existing child care centres that currently operate on school grounds across the district.”

Allison Didrikson, director, Fundamentals Childcare Centre –

“This bright and spacious facility provides children with a positive and welcoming learning environment where they can feel supported and thrive. The centre will help meet the child care needs of families in our growing community for many years to come.”

Quick Facts:

• Since 2018, the Province has approved 7,150 new licensed child care spaces on school grounds.
• Throughout 134 B.C. communities, child care facilities on school grounds are licensed and operated either through the board of education or in partnership with local child care providers.
• There are approximately 39,000 child care spaces on 806 school grounds.

Learn More:

For more about ChildCareBC, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/childcare

For more about the New Spaces Fund, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/caring-for-young-children/running-daycare-preschool/childcare-new-spaces-fund

For more information about child care facilities in Maple Ridge - Pitt Meadows School District, visit:
https://www.sd42.ca/assets/media/Childcare-Facilities-SD42.pdf