The concept of outdoor-based child care programs is well aligned with the City of Vancouver’s priorities for expanding programs to serve the needs of school age children, and with the goals of the Healthy City Strategy. [...] Replicability: The success of the YMCA's program demonstrates the potential for outdoor-based approaches to licensed child care for school aged children and provides a solid foundation for replication. [...] The Solutions: The City funded security and building modifications at Kerrisdale Annex to enable access to washrooms, the kitchen, and the gym for the program. [...] She is the past chair of the BC Provincial Child Care Council, former member of the Vancouver Joint Child Care Council, the former chair of the School Age Child Care Association of BC, and the Vancouver Supported Child Care Agency. [...] MARIANA BRUSSONI: Project Advisor and Subject Matter Expert is the Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and investigator with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute.
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Table of Contents
- Project Commissioned by Report Prepared by 1
- Administered by 1
- Vancouver Tackles Licensed School Age Child Care Shortage 3
- 1.0 INTRODUCTION 3
- This report includes 4
- Report Overview 4
- 2.0 BACKGROUND 5
- Growing Demand Limited Space The Catalyst for a Licensed Outdoor- Based School Age Child Care Pilot. 5
- 3.0 DATA COLLECTION METHODS 6
- 4.0 LESSONS LEARNED 7
- Key Learnings 7
- Additional Considerations 9
- 5.1 Essential Physical Elements for Quality Outdoor-based Programs 9
- 5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 9
- 5.2 Start Up Costs 10
- 5.3 Quality Programming and Child Safety 10
- 5.5 Securing the Right Space Siting Considerations for a Licensed Outdoor-Based Program 13
- The following locations are likely to meet basic licensing facility requirements 14
- Look for facilities with existing preschool spaces or multi- purpose rooms within a safe walking distance from a school. 14
- While Strong Start classrooms or Multipurpose Rooms are ideal other available spaces may be considered depending on program needs and space suitability. These include 14
- Primarymodular classrooms Libraries Gyms Lunchrooms 14
- 6.0 TAKING ACTION 15
- Intensity of use by the school community and neighbourhood Number of children typically using the space Presence of other school age or outdoor programs Duration of typical use 15
- Are there already licensed school age child care programs operating at or near the potential site Are there waitlists indicating a demand for more spaces What other community resources exist 15
- Step 1 Assess the Need and Interest 15
- Step 2 Preliminary Site Assessment 15
- Does the space offer the outlined in Section 5.1 of this guide Is there sufficient space for an outdoor program to effectively operate 15
- Step 3 Confirming the Operator 16
- Step 5 Implementation and Startup Project Lead Role 17
- Step 4 Regulatory and Operating Requirements Project Lead Role 17
- 7.0 CONCLUSION 18
- Appendix 1 19
- PROGRAM SITE FACILITIES and EQUIPMENT A. 19
- THE FINANCES START UP AND OPERATING COSTS 20192020 B. 20
- USE OF INDOOR SPACES C. 21
- SAFETY AND SUPERVISION OF CHILDREN D. 21
- HUMAN RESOURCES 22
- PROGRAM PARTICIPATION AND FAMILY PERSPECTIVES F. 22
