After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!

Looking for day care during B.C. teachers’ strike for your kindergartener?

Photo courtesy of Buddings.ca

Vancouver parents of kindergarten kids have one more option for childcare during the B.C. teacher’s strike, thanks to a newly opened Budding Children’s Garden & Daycare.

The centre is Vancouver’s first completely flexible, occasional childcare facility, and with the decision by B.C. teachers to walk out of classrooms from March 3 to 5, it’s a timely option for families caught without care.

“Reliable care is already a challenge for families when schools have Professional Development days at least once a month, but with the teachers on strike, it becomes even more difficult,” says Buddings manager Jennifer Bachhuber.

“We are a licensed centre, staffed by Early Childhood Educators, available whenever families need us.”

Registered families at the daycare book their own hours via a password protected online booking calendar that allows for spontaneous reservations with as little as one hour’s notice, or long term scheduling, up to three months in advance.

Centrally located at Oak and Broadway, the service is specifically designed for families who don’t need full-time, or ever regular care, like kindergarten kids.

Licensed for children from 18 months up to six years old, the centre provides a variety of age-appropriate learning stations, including art, science, cooking, reading, games and daily living, and special highlighted activities every afternoon. After three months in operation, families are finding the centre’s flexible approach a convenient alternative to conventional childcare.

“With Tyler and myself both being self-employed, we don’t need the full-time daycare or the expense of fulltime daycare. What Buddings has created fits perfectly with our hectic, last minute lifestyle, and at a reasonable price,” said the Beaumont Studios owner Jude Kusnierz. “I have been taking Lennox here for about two months now and she loves it so much.”

The centre is filling up, but there is space available, and kindergarten families interested in registering before next week can do so by filling in the Become a Buddy application form.

More in Life

UX designers shape our interaction with the environment through technology

When George Papazian began teaching at Emily Carr University of Art + Design a few years ago, the term UX designer was still relatively new. Now, he is the lead instructor for the interaction design...

Take a vacation, save the planet

Green, eco and sustainable travel are growing six times faster than traditional travel.

Bread and butter pudding: warming comfort food

A great way to use leftover bread
Speak up about this article on Facebook or Twitter. Do this by liking Vancouver Observer on Facebook or following us @Vanobserver on Twitter. We'd love to hear from you.