With more than 140 families waitlisted for the Revelstoke Child Care Society (RCCS), finding the right support in town for kids presents challenges, but the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) has been working to help local caretakers change that.
Over recent years, CBT has supported RCCS in improving playgrounds, installing new flooring, and creating rooms dedicated to infants, toddlers and school-age children, thanks to its Child Care Grants and Child Care Support Program. It's also helped upgrade heating and cooling systems to boost efficiency and slash operational costs.
Families can look forward to 12 new infant-toddler spaces at RCCS this fall. It already accommodates 89 licensed child-care spots, though that's in a city that by 2021 recorded 445 children between the ages of zero and four, and another 455 aged five to nine, according to Statistics Canada.
鈥淚n recent years, we鈥檝e seen a significant increase in demand, and that trend continues," RCCS co-executive director Linda Chell said in a CBT release. 鈥淥ur mission is to provide affordable, accessible, inclusive and quality programming."
CBT's support has also enabled RCCS to invest in training staff to accommodate children with diverse needs.
Revelstoke mother Lara Davis, who's two children have been involved with RCCS's programming for nearly eight years, was initially approached by staff who'd been trained to identify signs of autism in kids such as her daughter Ivy.
"A plan was soon developed, involving RCCS staff, an occupational therapist and a speech pathologist, to provide Ivy with the support she needed," Davis said. "She鈥檚 now in Grade 3 and doing great!鈥�
According to CBT, offering quality support is important not just for child-care-seeking families, but for the educators as well.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a challenge to recruit and retain certified educators, but with the Trust鈥檚 support, we鈥檙e able to offer a training wage that keeps educators in the community,鈥� RCCS co-executive director Tracy Spannier said. 鈥淗aving a consistent, reliable team benefits everyone. Some staff members have worked with children from the same family over the years, building strong bonds.鈥�
For instance, Carys Gregg, who now manages RCCS's Stepping Stones Child Care Centre program, started out in Revelstoke as an early-childhood assistant before pursuing formal training with help from CBT's Early Childhood Educator Training Wage and Wage Subsidy programs.
"The Trust鈥檚 support allowed me to continue my education without having to leave Revelstoke, which was very important to me,鈥� Gregg said in the statement.
Learn more about RCCS at revelstokechildcaresociety.com.
