A new 158-space child care facility is being constructed on land owned by North Cowichan adjacent to Maple Bay Elementary, at the intersection of Donnay Drive and Kingsview Road.
In 2023, North Cowichan received an $18,047,000 grant from the federal and provincial governments through the Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement and the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund to support a new 158-space child care facility that will serve as a permanent home for an established child care operator, ensuring continued access to quality early learning and care for local families.
The new facility will replace the one operated by Parkside Academy Child-Care Society at the former Somenos school site on Sprott Road, and the society will also operate the new centre.
The funding agreement with the province specifies that North Cowichan ensures that the new child-care operation continues for a minimum of 35 years.
In conjunction with Parkside Academy Society, North Cowichan staff had developed plans for a new child-care centre in 2021 that would have replaced the society’s facility on Sprott Road, and applied for funding for phase one of the project from B.C.’s New Spaces Fund to help build it.
But that application was denied in 2022 for a number of reasons, including the inability of the applicants to secure funding for phase two of the project and other issues with the proposal.
However, the province released an updated New Spaces Fund grant program that relaxed some of the criteria, including removing the maximum funding availability for each application, which was previously set at $3 million, and applications for funding for the facility in North Cowichan were made again and were successful.
In December 2023, North Cowichan and the province endorsed a change of location for the new child care facility from Sprott Road to Donnay Drive due to contamination of the original site.
The 15,000-square foot facility will include eight activity rooms, office space, a kitchen, and meeting rooms, plus outdoor play space to accommodate 158 children.
The public is invited to learn more about the project to provide 158 new child care spaces in North Cowichan through an upcoming open house and online engagement opportunities.
The open house will be held on April 8 at Maple Bay Elementary School, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
For information on the project and to provide input online, visit connectnorthcowichan.ca/kingsview-child-care for project details, FAQs, and a brief survey.
