On Monday, January 6 from 5-7 p.m., the Kimberley community was invited to tour the new Rocky Mountain Child Care facility that was built through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund on the grounds at Marysville Elementary School.

Rocky Mountain School District in partnership with Summit Community Services Society (Summit) was thrilled to share this new childcare facility with the public by hosting a drop-in open house. Over 200 people walked through the facility and expressed their gratitude and appreciation for this new amenity that will support children and families and benefit the entire community.

In the summer of 2022, Rocky Mountain School District, in partnership with Summit and with financial support from Columbia Basin Trust, applied to the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund, which is jointly supported by provincial investments and federal funding under the 2021-2022 to 2025-2026 Canada-British Columbia Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. This application was approved in November 2022 and construction finished at the beginning of December 2024.

The building has capacity for 24 spaces for children under 36 months, 100 group child spaces (30 months to school age), and 24 spaces for school-aged care on school grounds.

Summit had an inspection date booked with Interior Health and now that the license has been approved, they have submitted applications for Child Care Operating Fund (CCOF), Child Care Fee Reduction Incentive (CCFRI), and the Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement. Summit has now received approval for these programs and will officially open the doors and begin providing childcare for children and families in our community on March 3.

Rocky Mountain School District Superintendent, Aaron Callaghan shared, “We are thrilled to announce the completion of the Rocky Mountain Child Care facility in Marysville, a project completed both on time and under budget by $$1 million. This project certainly represents an example of what can be accomplished through exemplary community collaboration.

“Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone involved in this undertaking, from the design and construction teams to the supportive community members who have shown unwavering commitment to this project including the City of Kimberley and Columbia Basin Trust. We are especially grateful to our partner, Summit Community Services Society, whose expertise and dedication will now bring this facility to life, providing essential child care services for families in Marysville and the surrounding communities.”

Crystal MacLeod, Director of Instruction added, “This new facility is so much more than a building; it represents our collective efforts in fostering the growth and development of our youngest learners. We look forward to seeing the positive impacts it will have on our local communities for years to come.”

“On behalf of Summit Community Services Society, we would like to thank Rocky Mountain School District and the Ministry of Education and Child Care for creating a new space for our non-profit society to offer more childcare services in our communities,” stated Martina Danzer, Executive Director, Summit Community Services Society.

“We are excited to see the building’s construction process complete so that we can now move on to the next steps in the effort to get the programs up and running. These steps include the application for licensing, government applications, staff hiring, and allocation of childcare spots to families. We have already hired a Child Care Director who has worked hard to prepare all our licensing documents and now that the license has been approved by Interior Health and Summit has successfully been approved for the child care operating funds, staffing is underway.

“Our goal is to open one program for each designation (under 36 months, 30 months to school age, school-aged care on school grounds) while we continue to recruit more staff and work toward opening all spaces in each program. We look forward to operating these new childcare spaces beginning on March 3.”

City of Kimberley Mayor Don McCormick stated, “Young families continue to be our fastest growing demographic. This new Rocky Mountain Childcare facility will put a huge dent in the demand for everything from toddler to after school care.

“We thank SD6, Summit Community Services Society and Columbia Basin Trust for making Kimberley one of the early recipients of the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund.”

“This new facility represents an incredible achievement for Marysville and the surrounding community, providing local families with greater access to high-quality child care,” said Johnny Strilaeff, President and CEO, Columbia Basin Trust.

“We are proud to have partnered with Rocky Mountain School District, Summit Community Services Society, the City of Kimberley and the Province to make this project a reality. Supporting projects like this not only helps families thrive but also strengthens the foundation of our communities across the Basin.”

“This new child care centre in Kimberley will benefit hard working families and the whole community for years to come,” said Rohini Arora, Parliamentary Secretary for Child Care. “It is a great example of how we are working with community partners to build new child care centres where people need them most throughout B.C.”

“Everyone deserves access to affordable child care close to home. These new spots in Kimberley support our children’s well-being and help meet parents’ needs,” said Jenna Sudds, federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “It’s a significant investment in our children’s future and the strength of our communities.”

Columbia Basin Trust photo

Rocky Mountain School District

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