New Child Care Spaces in ��Swag – Board Advocacy Priority

The Kamloops-Thompson Board of Education is excited to have opened two new child care centres since 2023.

The first child care centre at Ralph Bell Elementary School in Valleyview opened on December 4, 2023. The second child care centre at Happyvale (next to Twin Rivers Education Centre) opened on April 22, 2024. Each new child care site provides a total of 72 spaces and is operated by Inquiring Little Minds (ILM).

Parents/Guardians who are interested in accessing child care at Ralph Bell or Happyvale may submit their child’s information to the ILM online waitlist form — more information is available on the ILM website: . If you have questions about current space availability, please send an email to Inquiring Little Minds here.

On April 22, 2022, the Ministry of Education and Child Care announced funding support for new licensed child care spaces in the Thompson-Cariboo region. Support to build both centres included $2.8 million through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund.

The Board continues to advocate for additional child care centres in the Kamloops-Thompson School District, with future plans including a child care site at the new Parkcrest Elementary School.

New Child Care Spaces in ��Swag – Join the Journey!

Apr. 27, 2022 -	Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen shares how the Ministry is ‘Making child care affordable and accessible for all’ with 144 new child spaces coming to Kamloops – located at Happyvale and Ralph Bell Elementary schools and operated by the District.
Apr. 21, 2022 -	Ministry of Education and Child Care announces funding to support new licensed child care spaces in the Thompson-Cariboo region.

Dec. 11, 2023 -	The Board of Education approves the JustB4 program expansion.
Dec. 5, 2023 -	News reports on Ralph Bell Elementary Child Care Centre Opening.
Dec. 4, 2023 -	Minister of State for Child Care Grace Lore discusses new ��Swag child care centres with Radio NL.
Dec. 4, 2023 - ��Swag News	��Swag Opens Ralph Bell Elementary Child Care.
Dec. 4, 2023 -	New child care centre opens at Ralph Bell Elementary in Kamloops.
Oct. 30, 2023 -	Child Care environmental scan survey results presented to the Board.
Oct. 26, 2023 - ��Swag News	Inquiring Little Minds Child Care Centre at Ralph Bell Elementary School Opening Soon. Parents/Guardians interested in accessing child care may submit their child’s information to the ILM online waitlist form at .
Oct. 24, 2023 - Ralph Bell Progress Update	Inquiring Little Minds (ILM) was granted the licence to operate the Child Care centre located at Ralph Bell Elementary School with a phased approach to having families bring their children into child care. The phased approach is commonly used to help children gain a sense of comfort with before and after school care as well as day care. ILM has been collecting families’ names and communicating with families directly.
Sept. 1, 2023 - Ralph Bell & Happyvale Progress Update	Ralph Bell All systems are operational, including security, fire alarms, air conditioning, furnace, and electrical. A connection for monitoring the security and Fire alarm systems is still required. The HVAC system has been commissioned and air balanced. City sidewalks have been completed. Aluminum stairs and ramps are expected to arrive today. Electrical and Structural Engineers visited the site earlier this week. Mechanical Engineer is expected this morning. Licensing process will begin once Inquiring Little Minds receive the keys to the building. Twin Rivers Education Centre (Happyvale) Portable structures are on-site. Utility preparation work will begin next week.
Aug. 24, 2023 - Ralph Bell Progress Update	Ralph Bell Power is connected. HVAC and electrical systems are being commissioned by the portable supplier. Water and sanitary system connected. Interior finishing being completed by the portable supplier. Fenced play area is complete. Waiting for stairs and ramp.
Aug. 1, 2023 - Ralph Bell Progress Update	Ralph Bell Fortis is connected. No handrails or stairs yet - to be done in the next 3 weeks. Electricians are done. Waiting for BC Hydro. HVAC staff connecting air conditioning and working on natural gas lines. Plumbers hooking up water and sanitary. Grounds staff are doing play area fencing.
July 7, 2023 - ��Swag News	��Swag is Preparing for New Child Care Spaces at Ralph Bell Elementary School. On behalf of the Board of Education, Board Chair Heather Grieve shares that 72 child care spaces will open up once Inquiring Little Minds communicates a start date for intake of applications, which is expected to be in August.
Feb. 27, 2023 -	Early Learning and Child Care Annual Report presented to the Board.

June 11, 2024	Child Care RFP opens: New RFP for child care (T24031), specific to the newly built Parkcrest Elementary, becomes available on BC Bid. The RFP encompasses two rooms: Infant/Toddler and 3-5-year-old. The RFP is open from June 11 to August 9, 2024 (4pm).
Apr. 22, 2024 -	News reports on Happyvale Child Care Centre Opening.
Apr. 22, 2024 - ��Swag News	Opening of Inquiring Little Minds’ Child Care Centre at Happyvale.
Apr. 22, 2024 -	New child care centre opens at former Kamloops school.
Mar. 11, 2024 -	Early Learning and Child Care Annual Report highlighting programs and services provided over the last year and future action items presented to the Board.
Jan. 22, 2024 - Happyvale Progress Update	Twin Rivers Education Centre (Happyvale) Deficiency corrections are happening now. Awaiting architect and engineers documents so we can call City of Kamloops for final inspection. Targeting end of January for completion.

Watch for updates here and through social media.

Questions can be sent to: Facility Input

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