The Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society is opening a new child care centre on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
The centre, which has spots for 25 children between three and five years of age, will open on March 5. It will operate out of a 500 square foot boardroom within Shannon Hall at 6050 176 Street.
According to a media release, PICS assessed that Cloverdale was lacking in child care services, and has decided to open the centre to “the needy families” in the area.
However, there is no specific needs assessment process during registration. PICS defines “needy families” as those that need a helping hand: the need is not defined by income and registration will be on a first come, first serve basis.
“Cloverdale has recently had a lot of development. It has been brought to our attention from different [child care] groups … that there is a need in Cloverdale for child care services,” said PICS Director Devinder Chattha.
The provincial government funded the start-up costs for the centre, contributing $64,351 to the society.
PICS has committed to running the centre for five years, but Chattha said, “We are expecting to run it long after that.”
The centre will operate from Monday through Saturday. It will be closed Sundays as the Cloverdale Flea Market runs out of Shannon Hall at that time.
Chattha said that it would cost on average between $800 and $1,000 a month for full-time enrollment at the centre, but that the cost would fluctuate based on how many hours a day, and how many days a week, a child was at the centre.
For more information, or to register, call Eva Touzard at 604-596-7722 ext. 138 or Devinder Chattha at ext. 107.
sign off
