A new child care space is coming to Cumberland Community School after an agreement between School District 71 and the Village of Cumberland was finalized.
The school district will manage the construction and will take ownership of the facility.
The project received $2.95 million from the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
“This partnership will ensure the village’s ongoing involvement in the provision of child care through this facility and make sure it aligns with future child care development within the community,” said Cumberland Mayor Leslie Baird. “This allows us to focus on seeking further opportunities for additional child care spaces over the long term in Cumberland, which are desperately needed by families.”
The Village of Cumberland will choose the child care service provider at the facility and will provide feedback about its operations.
Village staff say the school is the ideal location for the space.
“There is a huge need for more child care spaces in Cumberland and we’ve accepted the offer from the village to build this important facility,” said Comox Valley Schools board chair Tonia Frawley. “Our district will be able to move forward immediately by streamlining responsibilities.”
Work on the project is expected to start this spring.
“Congratulations to the Village of Cumberland and Comox Valley Schools on getting one step closer to making 75 new childcare spaces a reality for young families,” said Josie Osborne, MLA for Mid Island-Pacific Rim. “This level of collaboration between different jurisdictions is exactly what we need to move forward on our shared priorities, and I’m very happy to see so much commitment from everyone to create more safe, affordable, accessible and nurturing spaces for our children.”
