Families in West Kelowna, B.C., are facing uncertainty as BrightPath Childcare Centre on Brown Road announced its closure this June, leaving 64 families scrambling to find alternative care options.
“I spent all day yesterday calling around to other facilities, and the phone lines were busy the whole time. It was crazy,” said a parent of a child at BrightPath, Nicole Clifton.
BrightPath said, “This decision follows the recent sale of the building in which our centre operates, and we have been informed that our lease will not be renewed.”
This decision has left numerous families without the child care they rely on.
“We live in Shannon Lake but we chose Glenrosa Elementary because they do the before- and after-school care and they drive them every day and pick them up, now we have to do some shifting around with the way we work,” said another parent, Bobbi Vojtko.
Parents are being directed to BrightPath’s other location in Kelowna, but for many, the commute is simply not feasible.
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“I work on this side of the bridge. I can’t imagine driving all the way over there to drop my son off and then driving back,” said Vojtko.
The closure’s impact is already being felt in neighbouring child-care centres, including the Neighbourhood Kids Childcare Centre in Glenrosa.
Carissa Schroeder, the centre’s owner, says they’ve been inundated with calls from families looking for care.
“In just the last 48 hours, we’ve received messages from five families who are currently enrolled at BrightPath,” says Carissa.
However, like many centres in West Kelowna, Neighbourhood Kids is also dealing with a lengthy wait list.
“There’s just not enough child care available here,” Carissa adds. “It’s becoming a real problem on the Westside.”
BrightPath’s last official day is June 13.
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