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The Kelowna International Airport (YLW) is pleased to announce the expansion of the Kelowna Airport YMCA Child Care Centre, a significant step towards addressing the critical need for affordable, inclusive, and high-quality child care in the Kelowna area.
This expansion is a collaborative effort between the City of Kelowna, YLW, KF Aerospace, and the YMCA of Southern Interior BC. The new spaces are made possible through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund, which provided $2,536,800. The fund is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the 2021-22 to 2025-26 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
The expanded facility will provide 24 additional child care spaces for children under 36 months to the existing 86 spaces, helping to alleviate the significant waitlist and meet the needs of families working on the airport campus and in the surrounding community, including those employed by KF Aerospace, the city's largest employer.
The facility was built with expansion in mind, which will allow for the facility to grow seamlessly from the existing footprint. The expansion is currently in the design phase and anticipated to be complete in late 2025.
The YLW Child Care Centre is part of a broader infrastructure expansion at the Kelowna International Airport, which includes various projects aimed at meeting the needs of the growing region.
Quotes:
Jenna Sudds, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “These new spots will make a huge difference for busy moms and dads working at the airport and those living nearby. We will keep working hard to create more spots to get kids off wait lists and into high-quality, affordable child care close to home and work.”
Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “Thanks to our government’s ChildCareBC plan, we are continuing to build more child care spaces where families need them, including close to where people work, like the Kelowna Airport. We know that having access to secure child care spaces supports families and strengthens communities.”
Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas "It’s the kind of investment that really matters to Kelowna residents and strengthens the local community. This commitment and funding will help local families access quality, and affordable community-based childcare and I know that many of them, working on the YLW campus and throughout Kelowna, share in my gratitude for this incredible support and for the innovative partnership that has made the expansion of this childcare facility possible.”
Kelowna International Airport CEO, Sam Samaddar "We are very thankful for this partnership between the City, YLW, KF Aerospace, and the YMCA of Southern Interior BC to provide child care for people who work on the airport campus. It is initiatives like this that support employees to help retain and grow the aviation workforce.”
KF Aerospace Chief Corporate Services Officer, Grant Stevens “On behalf of the staff at KF Aerospace, I would like to thank Kelowna International Airport and the YMCA for their foresight and commitment to expand the childcare facility to ensure more airport staff have space for their children.”
YMCA of Southern Interior BC Vice President of Child Care, Danielle Miranda “We applaud our partners the City of Kelowna, Kelowna International Airport, and KF Aerospace for their continued community support as we work together to provide safe, affordable and high quality child care. Our shared vision will improve our local economy and ensure families have access to services within their community and close to their place of work.”
Backgrounder:
In fall 2023, the Kelowna Airport YMCA Child Care Centre opened, accommodating 86 children five-years-old and younger. The City of Kelowna, Kelowna International Airport (YLW), KF Aerospace and the YMCA of Southern BC are partnered to provide this child care centre on the YLW campus.
This project serves the community in alignment with the City of Kelowna’s 2040 OCP by supporting the development of child care spaces including accessible, affordable and inclusive spaces that meet the needs of citizens living or working in the Gateway.
The Province provided approximately $3.8 million toward the Kelowna Airport YMCA Child Care Centre from the ChildCare BC New Spaces Fund, for the initial building of the Child Care Facility.
ChildCareBC New spaces Fund, which is supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
Learn More:
For more information on ChildCareBC, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/childcare
For more information on the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/childcare/newspacesfund
To learn more about the CW-ELCC agreement, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories/british-columbia-canada-wide-2021.html
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