UBC Child Care Update

UBC is the largest campus-based child care provider in North America, and continues to be the largest provider of infant/toddler child care in Vancouver.

We would like to let you know about some of the new child care spaces available to UBC Faculty, Staff and Students, as well as steps to take to advocate for greater support of child care options to all British Columbians.

Where we are today

As part of UBC’s commitment to create a total of 900 child care spaces by 2016, there continue to be developments in several of our child care initiatives.

Growth continues with the addition of new UBC Child Care spaces and more in the planning stages

As of Sept. 1, 2011, with the opening of an additional 37 spaces at the USB building, UBC Child Care Services has grown to more than 570 licensed spaces for children from infant to 12 years of age (www.childcare.ubc.ca).

Looking longer term, UBC has the goal of opening an additional 24 child care spaces in the Ponderosa Phase 2 building in 2014. Additionally, there will be a 16-space Occasional Care centre located in the new Student Union building to provide flexible short-term services for three- to five-years-olds whose parents need temporary services while they attend or teach classes or participate in other on-campus activities.  The service will offer parents the ability to book care online for between 3-8 hours a day, up to a maximum of 40 hours per month.

And as campus growth continues, each additional Hub development will include plans for another 24 spaces of child care.

Other child care options for UBC Faculty and Staff

UEL and On-Campus Group Child Care Services on Campus

Acadia Park Preschool
Acadia Park Preschool has 16 spaces for toddlers and preschoolers.
Contact: 604-822-5568

Berwick Preschool
Berwick Preschool has 72 spaces. It serves as an integrated preschool program for children ages two-and-a-half to five years.
Contact: 604-822-6616

Kinderclub at University Hill Elementary
Based at the University Hill elementary school, Kinderclub has 25 after-school care spaces for children attending the U-Hill kindergarten.
Contact: 604-222-0700

U-Hill Preschool
U-Hill Preschool has 16 spaces for preschool-age children. Sessions run Monday to Thursday.
Contact: (604) 228-8610

Kids & Co.

UBC has a membership with Kids & Co., a Canadian child care company, which allows UBC faculty, staff and students access to Kids & Co. child care spaces.

Kids & Co. currently has child care facilities in Richmond and in Vancouver (on West 6th Ave.). The Vancouver location opened in May 2011, and is taking new clients.

Kids & Co. offers three options of child care:

• Full-time and part-time care: Kids & Co. offers full-time or part-time child care spaces, as well as the use of any Kids & Co. centre once your child is registered.
• Back-Up Child care: Kids & Co. offers back-up or emergency child care throughout the year at any of their centres.
• Nanny Care Program: Kids & Co. offers assistance in finding a qualified nanny to care for your children.

For more information, contact Kids & Co. at http://www.kidsandcompany.ca or 1-866-my-kidco.

Human Solutions Child Care Directory

Human Solutions, UBC’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provider, offers a directory of child care providers to UBC Faculty and Staff enrolled in the EFAP program. The child care provider database is “self-registered”: Human Solutions does not manage this resource or screen those on the registry.

For more information, contact Human Solutions at http://www.humansolutions.ca.

License Not Required Child Care Spaces

License Not Required (LNR) care is a regulated area of child care that enables individuals to care for up to two children in their home, in addition to their own children. While these individuals do not have to meet the full range of requirements that Child Care Services must, there are minimum requirements, such as training, criminal records checks, and a positive physical environment.

The University explored the possibility of expanding LNRs in homes on campus through a pilot project in 2010-11. During the pilot project, the Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre had an office on campus and reached out to provide information and to assist people who live on University lands to establish LNRs in their homes.  This pilot project ended, and it was concluded by Westcoast that there is not sufficient interest to establish LNRs in the campus community

West Coast Child Care Resource

West Coast Centre (http://www.wstcoast.org/ccrr/index.html or 604-709-5699) provides information, referrals, training and resources to families, individuals and organizations who are seeking the best care and early learning for children. They keep a registry of “License Not Required” child care providers in the Vancouver area.

Contact information for Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) programs around the province is available on the West Cost web site under “Links” (http://www.wstcoast.org/links.html), or alternatively on the BC Child Care Resource & Referral Programs web site: (http://www.ccrr.bc.ca/).

University Neighbourhood Association

The UNA is committed to having a new child care centre with up to 50 spaces as part of the south campus community centre. The earliest that is expected to be available is 2012.

Vancouver School Board

The Vancouver School Board plans to expand its offering of before- and after-school care in September 2012, when they open the new elementary school on Acadia Road

Other Providers

Arrangements have been made with the Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA) to provide access to child care spaces for UBC parents at some of their child care facilities in neighbourhoods closer to home. Following are the DDA child care locations around Vancouver and Richmond:

• Champlain (Champlain Heights): 3 – 5 year olds
• Berwick (UBC campus): 3 – 5 year olds
• Kids in General (Vancouver General Hospital): 3 – 5 year olds
• Playhouse (East Vancouver): 6 months – 3 year olds
• Riverside (Richmond): 3 – 5 year olds

For details and addresses, visit the Child Services Development page of DDA.

Click to enlarge the map

The Developmental Disabilities Association (DDA) can be contacted at 604-273-9778, or see www.develop.bc.ca.

Next Steps

While UBC has dedicated much effort and resources to creating quality child care spaces on campus, there is the very real fact that UBC cannot be the sole provider of child care spaces to the university community.

Even with the addition of 108 new child care spaces in 2009, UBC Child Care Services has a wait-list of nearly 1,600 children for its child care spaces, with waiting times of up to 24 months for toddler-aged care.

While the university remains dedicated to increasing the number of child care spaces available to Faculty, Staff and Students, there are some barriers that exist that cannot rest solely with the university.

Advocacy

Research around early childhood development and early childhood education, carried out by the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at UBC, indicates that there is a need for high-quality and affordable child care in Canada.

What some do not realize is that, unlike publicly funded K-12 education health care, there is no support system or public policy approach in Canada for early childhood development for children from birth to five years old. Parents are left to search for whatever childcare they can find for their children (including out-of-school care for school-age children). What has resulted is that, on an international basis, Canada and British Columbia consistently rank low in the availability of quality and affordable child care.

Downloadable research information from HELP on supporting early childhood development

• B.C. Smart Family Policy 2010 Report Card: Assessing British Columbian’s Support for Families with Young Children
• 15 by 15: A Comprehensive Policy Framework for Early Human Capital Investment in BC
• Creating Communities for Young Children: A Toolkit for Change

What can parents do?

• Write your MP, MLA, and local city or municipal council to tell them your story and your needs as a parent living in their community.
• Come together with other parents to raise public awareness about child care, and share your concerns with others.
• Promote public policy change to support parents and children.
• Become involved with a like-minded community organization.
• Above all, parents should talk about what they need to best support their children. Talk with each other and talk with the media.

Contact Information

Darcelle Cottons
Director, Child Care Services
darcelle.cottons@ubc.ca