Ripple Rock Elementary in Campbell River has a new 30-space child-care centre that had its grand opening on Friday.
The Ministry of Education partnered with the Campbell River School District to create the spaces, with $1 million for construction and the purchase of furniture and appliances coming from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund.
The ministry has said that having child care at schools helps families by streamlining daily routines and creating a smoother transition for their children.
Ripple Rock single parent Chelsea Frederickson said having child care available at her boys’ school has been an “absolute game-changer” that allowed her to work an extra 15 hours a week.
“I was on every single list, but there were no openings anywhere,” said Frederickson, who has three children.
Campbell River School Board chair Kat Eddy said the Ripple Rock Child Care Centre is the first of six such district- operated facilities planned.
“Together with the ministry, we’re proud to complement the efforts of our community’s child-care providers, providing more care options for working parents and additional work hours for our education assistants.”
Since 2018, ChildCareBC programs have helped in establishing more than 34,000 new licensed child-care spaces in the province, including more than 550 in Campbell River and surrounding areas.
