The Saanich School District’s Children’s Development Centre is getting a $4.2-million new building in time for the next school year.
District superintendent Dave Eberwein said the 50-year-old centre, on Cordova Bay Road just east of the Patricia Bay Highway, was in need of a seismic rebuild. The provincial government came up with $3.7 million for a new building and the district has provided $500,000.
“It’s a really critical program to help students with complex learning needs,” he said.
Construction is underway on the new structure, which will be about 20 per cent larger than the old one and will include meeting and office space.
The centre provides support for students of elementary- and middle-school age who need extra social and emotional help. That can include students struggling with social dynamics who might be having challenges settling in the classroom, or those dealing with anxiety or difficulty controlling emotions, Eberwein said.
“It could be a bunch of things — so students that require that extra level of mental-health support,” he said. “We’re able to provide it at the CDC building.”
The Children’s Development Centre will share the building with Beacon Community Services, a charity whose expertise includes children’s programs.
“They’re coming into the building and they will have some community-outreach services there for youth and for families, as well,” Eberwein said. “I’m really excited about that addition to the complex.”
The new facility will include two classrooms and will be able to accommodate a dozen students, Eberwein said. “Students aren’t there for a protracted period. They go in there for some intensive support.”
