Out-of-School Care Centres Opening in September 2023

Starting in September 2023, we will be offering new licensed out-of-school care at Cedar, Georgia Park, Ocean Grove, Pinecrest, Ripple Rock and Sandowne Elementary Schools.

Incoming kindergarten parents were given priority application through this year’s kindergarten registration, but parents and guardians of children in other grades who attend these childcare schools can now apply. 

Children must attend the school to be considered for out-of-school care and the centres will have a 1 to 12 adult to child ratio. Each centre will be licensed for a maximum of 24 children in attendance at any given time and will be open before-school from 7 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. and after-school from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Families who apply will be informed if their child has been accepted to the out-of-school care program before the end of June.

Access to quality, inclusive childcare is vitally important, and these new before- and after-school spaces will go a long way to helping relieve some of the stress on working families. 

Getting approval for these childcare centres has been thanks to the advocacy and application efforts of our Board of Education, CUPE Local 723, and Associate Superintendent Philip Cizmic. 

CUPE BC has long advocated for before- and after-school care delivered directly in school districts, because one of the biggest barriers to creating more childcare spaces is a lack of childcare workers and educational assistants often struggle to earn a basic living with an average five-hour workday.

We are proud that Quadra Elementary EA Amber Dolinski and CUPE Local 723 President Andrea Craddock were part of a recent CUPE BC delegation who lobbied MLAs and ministers in Victoria on the need for quality, affordable, accessible childcare.

We are excited that these new childcare centres will help address both the childcare shortage and make EA positions more desirable by providing full-time hours for those who want it.

For more information on the district’s out-of-school care program and application forms for care: Out-of-School Care (sd72.bc.ca). Questions can be sent to the district’s Early Learning principal and vice-principal at childcare@sd72.bc.ca.