Hundreds of new childcare spots open across Kelowna

As the population of metropolitan Kelowna explodes, there is some headway in meeting the huge demand for childcare spaces.

On Thursday, the provincial Minister of State for Child Care, Grace Lore, announced 250 newly opened spaces at three schools: Anne McClymont Elementary, Black Mountain Elementary, and Okanagan Mission Secondary.

"Child care on school grounds makes life easier for busy parents and gives them peace of mind knowing their kids are in one place for the entire day, with one drop off and pickup location," Lore said.

The new facility at Anne McClymont is operated by Boys & Girls Club of Okanagan (BGCO) in partnership with Central Okanagan Public Schools (SD23).

Another 350 spaces will be opened in the coming months at Ellison Elementary, George Elliott Secondary, Hudson Road Elementary, and North Glenmore Elementary.

With thousands of names on waitlists the school district is all too aware that every space counts.

“There is a great need for child care in the Central Okanagan. I’ve been told that more than 8,000 children are on waitlists,” Delta Carmichael, the Secretary Treasurer/CFO with SD23 told Kelowna10. “There has always been a need here, and for parents to have these facilities where kids can go from zero right up to school age will make them happy.”

New child care at airport

Meanwhile, a new child care centre has opened for 86 kids, under the age of five, at Kelowna International Airport. It’s expected to be a big boon for the workforce at the entire YLW campus as the aviation sector continues to expand.

Located between the terminal and aviation businesses on Convair Place, the modern site has a clear aviation feel with small model planes hanging from the ceiling corners, repurposed aircraft interiors like seats and galley storage, and of course, lots of toy planes.

The stand alone facility, one of the first on-site at an airport in North America, is a partnership between the province, Kelowna and KF Aerospace, which donated $500,000 to the project.

It will be operated by YMCA of Southern Interior.

For KF Aerospace, one of the largest private sector employers in the region, the facility comes as they seek to boost their female staffing recruitment and retention.

“Childcare was a significant challenge for many women continuing their careers with us,“ Grant Stevens, chief corporate services officer said. “We would hire, they’d have a family, and then we’d lose them.”

This site is the culmination of a vision started five years ago to boost female employees to 25 per cent of their workforce by 2025.

Mom of three toddlers, Bryana Gardiner, said she could not be working as she does now at KF Aerospace without it.

“This has opened the door for keeping me and allowing me to work a day shift and being employed without losing my seniority,” the receiver inspector told Kelowna10. “I didn’t think childcare was possible in the community with having three kids… I wouldn’t find space in Kelowna if it wasn’t for this partnership.”

The company said it hopes to expand the facility in the future.