As part of Child Care Month celebrations, Christine MacLeod, owner-operator of Wee Kids Family Daycare, has been honoured with a 2014 B.C. Child Care Award of Excellence for demonstrating outstanding service to children and families, Delta-North MLA Scott Hamilton announced Tuesday.
“This award recognizes Christine Macleod’s exceptional contribution to our community,” Hamilton said. “She goes out of her way for the kids in her care and that’s something parents adore about this daycare.”
Wee Kids Family Daycare works with parents to support a child’s love of sports. MacLeod will even drive a child to practice and provide unplanned meals and snacks to help support parents with busy schedules.
MacLeod also offers a number of innovative, child-centred projects and outings. Each year, she hosts an outdoor adventure at her cabin with the kids helping create the budget, food plan and entertainment for the car trip. MacLeod is a past member of the Provincial Child Care Council and coordinates Family Child Care training at Kwantlan Polytechnic University and Douglas College.
Fifteen individuals and representatives will receive Awards of Excellence at events throughout the province. In addition, 43 licensed child-care facilities that have supported children and families in their communities for more than 40 years will receive Child Care Legacy Awards.
The Child Care Awards of Excellence recognize the exceptional contributions made by early childhood educators, licensed family child-care providers, organizations and local governments throughout B.C. Award recipients were nominated by peers, parents and local governments.
“All of these dedicated professionals who care for our youngest learners in communities throughout B.C. deserve our thanks and this special recognition,” said Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux, the MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale. “The compassion and commitment they bring to their jobs are truly appreciated and I’d like to personally congratulate all of them for their outstanding contribution.”
The Ministry of Children and Family Development will invest $292 million on child care in 2014-15. Through the B.C. Early Years Strategy, the ministry is investing $32 million over the next two years to create up to 2,000 new licensed child-care spaces throughout the province, with the goal of opening up to 13,000 new spaces over the next eight years.
