Man on a mission: Creating a pro-social future for Kelowna’s kids

At Bella Vita Early Learning, Jonathan Harrison is making an extraordinary impact— not only on the children he teaches but on the very foundation of the center itself.

And he's aiming to improve an outdoor play space while navigating some serious recent health challenges.

While overcoming the trials of cancer remission, he remains steadfast in his mission to create a better outdoor space for the children, ensuring they have the tools to grow, play, and thrive.

“Working in ECE (Early Childhood Education), and being outside is important to me,” he told Kelowna10. “When you see boys, especially outside, they have little affordances to play with each other. They get creative, and they build forts. They make cushions, they coordinate, they laugh. That doesn’t really create many chances for them to adapt to the classroom later in life."

So, Harrison wants to create the best possible playing environment where kids have more pro-social manners of interaction as he puts it. He believes a well-designed yard can help children build essential social skills that will benefit them for years to come.

“All my favorite memories as a kid were playing outside in the grass or climbing,” he says. “The more fun they can have outside, the more positive association they can have with it, and therefore they'll be more inclined to in the future.”

The drive to better the daycare is fueled not just by professional dedication but also by personal strength.

"In 2020, I was diagnosed with stage four cancer. So originally I've just been trying to get fit to do a half marathon for BC Cancer. My cancer came back last year. So now I'm in remission again, " Harrison explained. "I want to gain some funds for yard and a sort of industry where typically there wasn't much funds to spend."

He plans to replace plastic benches with wood, upgrade the climber to a rock climbing wall with ropes, build new tables, and reconstruct the sandpit to prevent sand from blowing away. He also aims to integrate signage that enhances interaction with the mud kitchen, creating a more engaging outdoor space for children.

"The more we get, the more we can do. But it's about giving children more correct ways to play so they can be more pro-social, and less prone to boredom, which tends leads to aggression."

For those who wish to support the transformation of Bella Vita, you can donate to their GoFundMe page.