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