The Board of Education of Merritt’s School District No.58 (Nicola-Similkameen) has announced that childcare will be coming to a select few of their school locations.
SD58 is participating in a pilot program called Seamless Day, a Kindergarten pilot program intended to create a seamless childcare experience for kindergarten students by offering both before and after school care within kindergarten classrooms.
“The team of educators includes one kindergarten teacher and two Early Child Educators (ECE),” says SD58.
“With minimum transitions and a collaborative approach to the day, students are expected to excel in all aspects of their development.”
The school board has secured two locations to run Seamless Day within their district: Diamond Vale Elementary School in Merritt and John Allison Elementary School in Princeton.
While the program is created with Kindergarten at the forefront, if seats are not filled, they may be able to accommodate siblings and/or children in grades one and two. They are currently in the licensing phase and once this process is complete they can begin staffing.
In addition to their Seamless Day project, School District No.58 (Nicola-Similkameen) is in the process of applying for a grant to expand child care in Princeton. Through their grant, they hope to create an additional 44 childcare seats through a renovation project at Riverside Learning Center. They look forward to sharing plans as they finish their grant application and begin renovations.
For more information, contact District Vice Principal of Early Learning and Childcare Daniella Bennie at [email protected], or alternatively call the School Board Office at 250-378-5161.
