Child care collaboration to ease pressure on Queensborough families

Feb. 18, 2020, New Westminster – The City of New Westminster and New Westminster Schools are pleased to announce the opening of Kids Borough, a school aged child care program providing in-demand before and after school care for the Queensborough neighbourhood. The development of this facility is a great example of how the City of New Westminster and School District 40 are collaborating to provide increased access to quality child care for up to 40 children (ages 5 to 12). The City provided $136,950 to relocate and retrofit the two school portables which comprise the centre, School District 40 will own and maintain the centre, and Westminster Children’s After School Society (WCAS), a non-profit society that operates nine other child care centres in the city, will operate the centre.

“The City of New Westminster recognizes the need for additional child care spaces in Queensborough and is committed to working with the School District and the Province to address this need,” said Mayor Jonathan Coté. “In addition to these 40 school age care spaces, the City has received a provincial grant for a child care facility in the Queensborough neighbourhood for children aged five and under, and is seeking further funding for another similar facility in the area.”

The new program being announced today is an exciting collaboration that will deliver on pressing needs identified by Queensborough families.

“The School Board heard loud and clear from our Queensborough community the unique challenges faced by parents in this child care crisis,” said Board Chair Anita Ansari. “I’m so proud that our District and the City worked together to create these before and after school spaces to support working parents.”

The child care centre, located at Queensborough Middle School, will open in the spring of 2020. Opening dates and times will be provided at www.sd40.bc.ca and at www.wcass.com once licensing requirements are complete.

WCAS currently has a waitlist for the Queensborough area and families from this list with eligible children will be contacted via email and offered a space at Kids Borough. Any remaining open spaces will be available to families on a first come/first serve basis until the maximum capacity of the centre has been reached. Families wanting more information or wishing to add their names to the Queensborough waitlist, please contact admin@wcass.com.

The City of New Westminster and School District 40 continue to work together with community partners to provide access to childcare spaces in our community.