A pilot project to provide before and after school care at two Nanaimo schools is moving closer to reality. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

pilot project

SD 68 aims to launch before and after school pilot program in September

Apr 28, 2023 | 2:08 PM

NANAIMO — While a few details still need to be ironed out, School District 68 intends to provide on-site care at two of its schools starting this fall.

A pilot project on a cost recovery basis was approved by trustees during a Wednesday, April 26 board meeting involving 24 spaces at Ecole Hammond Bay Elementary and 12 at Pleasant Valley Elementary.

District principal for early learning and care Diane McGonigle said their CUPE partners are supportive of the plan, which would see education assistants provide the service.

“We will be working through some of the logistics around that and then working through HR and how we are going to staff the before and after school care at the two sites.”

McGonigle said at Pleasant Valley school students entering kindergarten will get priority for the new spaces, followed incrementally by grade level.

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Both schools currently have extended wait lists for before and after-school care, which won’t be fully cleared despite the additional spaces, McGonigle said, who noted the new spaces still have to be licensed.

The anticipated cost is $25 a day for a full-time participant, McGonigle noted.

She said the goal, designed to be inclusive to all students, is a revenue-neutral proposition.

While she’s hopeful the District-led initiative becomes more than a one-year experiment and grows long-term, she acknowledged it comes down to staff availability.

“I think the staffing aspect will be the big piece.”

In addition to staffing, proper space is another consideration, which McGonigle said worked out well at both schools selected for the pilot program.

“There is many schools in our district that could use additional before and after school child care spaces, but space is an issue.”

McGonigle noted Pleasant Valley Elementary is entering the final of a three-year provincially administered Seamless Day Kindergarten program, where a dozen students have benefited by licensed before and after school care.

Several private operators use SD 68 schools and other properties to provide before and after-school care to several hundred younger students.

McGonigle said the District’s intention is to fill gaps in the before and after school system, not take away from their valued private partners.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes