A 28-space childcare program is expected to open this fall in the remote northern community of Tsay Keh Dene, thanks to provincial funding announced on Thursday.
The First Nations community, located in the Rocky Mountain Trench, is only accessible by a logging road from Mackenzie or by flights based out of Prince George.
The funding announced by the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development is part of a provincial plan to increase access to childcare throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
"Parents throughout the province, and especially in the rural areas, have been struggling to find quality affordable child care for too long. We are making investments that are good for families and communities," Minister Katrine Conroy, said in a press release. "I am proud that this investment will help ensure future generations of Tsay Keh Dene children can remain connected to their traditions and can learn from Elders in their community."
The program will offer seven childcare spaces for preschool-age children, 14 for school-age children and seven multi-age spaces. The program will be based in a modular facility and is expected to open this fall.
"We are very excited for this space," Deeanna Izony, director of health and wellness of the Tsay Keh Dene Nation, said in a press release. "It will be a place where our children can grow, play and learn – creating a stronger foundation for our children in a positive, safe, cultural learning space that promotes growth, participation and well-being."
The program will offer an Aboriginal infant development program, school-readiness program, and host cultural events.
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