Little Wings Day Care Society

Little Wings Daycare Centre Society has been providing child care services to families living and working in various parts of Richmond since 1991. Little Wings offers care to children ranging in age from 6 months to 5 years and is licensed for 49 children per day. Our mission is to offer children an exciting and educational experience within a safe, nurturing environment designed to help children develop a positive self-image and to develop at their own individual pace. Little Wings Daycare relocated to a brand new facility near the Vancouver Airport in January 2020. Learn more here.

Simon Fraser University Child Care Society

SFU Childcare Society (SFUCCS) is nestled in the trees on top of Burnaby Mountain serving 323 children of students, faculty, staff, alumni and neighborhood families. Inspired by the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, SFUCCS values children, educators, families, and the natural environment for the contributions they all bring to the space in which we live with one another. “Leading excellence in Early Care and Learning in a sustainable way,” SFUCCS’ mission is to create conditions and values in which quality thrives.

Delegates will tour all 3 SFUCCS childcare sites: the main west-side complex which is home to 7, Infant/Toddler programs and 4, 3-5 programs; UniverCity Childcare which provides two 3-5 programs in the world’s most sustainable childcare facility; and the newest space in an elementary school serving 77 school-age children. Learn more here.

Monday Evening Center Experiences

On Monday evening, March 21, 2022, delegates will gather at the Sheraton Wall Hotel around 5:30 pm and will head out to a single center for a tour of the center and a facilitated discussion about early childhood issues.  The fee for the evening experience is $US 60 (dinner not included).

Capilano University Children’s Centre

Capilano University Children’s Centre is immersed in a scenic forested area at the base of the North Shore Mountains. The Centre, along with the Department of Early Childhood Care and Education, is housed within the School of Education and Childhood Studies at Capilano University. This offers unique opportunities for dialogue and exchange and has enabled an ongoing commitment to working with a pedagogista and atelierista. The Children’s Centre, which serves 65 children – infants, toddlers, preschoolers – is deeply committed to the language of pedagogy of Reggio Emilia: a language of beauty, artistry, curiosity, invention, listening and dialogue.

Coast Capital Savings Robert Lee YMCA Child Care

Coast Capital Savings Robert Lee YMCA Child Care is a program at the Robert Lee YMCA Centre, which is also home to a full service fitness centre and other community health, employment and newcomers to Canada services. This 65 space child care centre serves children from 6 months to 5 years of age. Located on the 5^th and 6^th floors, the centre has a beautifully designed interior and innovative rooftop playground space. With 66 child care programs helping over 2,100 children daily, the YMCA of Greater Vancouver is the largest provider of not-for-profit licensed child care in British Columbia. They provide inclusive child care that supports and strengthens families and nurtures the healthy, successful growth and development of each child. Learn more here.

Delegates will walk to this centre which is located across the street from the Sheraton Wall Hotel, tour the facility, and participate in a facilitated discussion on early childhood services in British Columbia and Canada.

Eagle’s Nest Aboriginal Head Start Preschool

Eagle’s Nest Aboriginal Head Start is one of two sites in Vancouver hosted by the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society. Located in the heart of downtown, Eagle’s Nest is a very special child care that has been lovingly developed through extensive parent and Elder involvement. It serves 30 children of aboriginal families. “Our goal is to create a culturally-safe environment for preschool-aged children and their families to share family traditions and culture, foster a love for lifelong learning and enrich all areas of development—emotional, intellectual, physical and spiritual.” Learn more here.

Delegates will travel by bus to this center, tour the facility and participate in a facilitated discussion on issues in early childhood services for Indigenous young children.

Terra Nova Nature School

Terra Nova Nature School is located in a 63-acre pubic park, offering a licensed preschool program as well as outdoor programs for children and families, ages infant-15 years.  Inspired by the schools of Reggio Emilia and the Forest School movement, the program employs a place-based, emergent philosophy that weaves together an Indigenous Framework. In its mission, Terra Nova declares “We believe that the whole community benefits when children learn to value and recognize our natural resources; participate in the cultivation of a local food system; and represent their knowledge, ideas and perspectives in a multitude of ways.” Learn more here.

Delegates will travel by bus to this center, tour the facility, and participate in a facilitated discussion on connecting young children with nature.

Tuesday Daytime Center Tours

On Tuesday, March 22, 2022, delegates will gather in the Sheraton Wall Hotel at 7:30 am to board buses for their center visits.  Buses will return delegates to the hotel by 2:30 pm.  Center Tour fee of $US 100 includes a box lunch.  There are three Tuesday daytime tour options:

University of British Columbia Child Care Services

Child care at UBC originated in 1969 when students, staff and faculty expressed a need for consistent, high-quality and developmentally appropriate environments for their children.  Today, UBC Child Care Services provides child care for over 700 children from infants to school-agers in 30 sites on campus. Services offered include infant care, group care for three-to-five-year-olds, school-age care and mixed age programs. Most UBC CCS centres, including the out-of-school child care programs, are located near the family housing residences and a small forest that provides them with many opportunities.  Delegates who visit UBC will spend the entire morning on campus and be divided into small groups to visit a range of these programs. Learn more here.

Capilano University Children’s Centre

Capilano University Children’s Centre is immersed in a scenic forested area at the base of the North Shore Mountains. The Centre, along with the Department of Early Childhood Care and Education, is housed within the School of Education and Childhood Studies at Capilano University. This offers unique opportunities for dialogue and exchange and has enabled our ongoing commitment to working with a pedagogista and atelierista. The Children’s Centre, which serves 65 children – infants, toddlers, preschoolers – is deeply committed to the language of pedagogy of Reggio Emilia: a language of beauty, artistry, curiosity, invention, listening and dialogue.

Coast Capital Savings Robert Lee YMCA Child Care

Coast Capital Savings Robert Lee YMCA Child Care is a program at the Robert Lee YMCA Centre, which is also home to a full service fitness centre and other community health, employment and newcomers to Canada services. This 65 space child care centre serves children from 6 months to 5 years of age. Located on the 5^th and 6^th floors, the centre has a beautifully designed interior and an innovative rooftop playground spaces. With 66 child care programs helping over 2,100 children daily, the YMCA of Greater Vancouver is the largest provider of not for profit licensed child care in British Columbia. We provide inclusive child care that supports and strengthens families and nurtures the healthy, successful growth and development of each child. Learn more here.

Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House

Frog Hollow provides a variety of social services for its community – elder services, newcomers settlement services, training for preschool professionals, youth programs and child care.  It has a variety of child care services in several locations – full day for infants and toddlers and preschoolers, before and after school care for school-agers, and a new centre on the roofotop of an elementary school.  “We offer exciting and stimulating opportunities for children and their families to grow in an environment that values full participation, self-determination and a belief in the unlimited potential of the child. We apply the principles and values of the Reggio Emilia approach in concert with the values of Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House.” Learn more here.

Sea Star Children’s Centre

Sea Star is one of 16 licensed child care programs serving 778 children – infants, toddlers, preschool children and school-age children- operated by Vancouver Society of Children’s Centres.   VSOCC is a non-profit organization providing licensed childcare in the City of Vancouver since 1995. VSOCC programs provide safe, nurturing, and inclusive play-based learning environments for children to meet their fullest potential.  Quality is measured by the interconnected relationship between the program environment, emergent curriculum, the role of the educator, and family and community engagement. Each of these areas of focus uniquely reflect the principles of the BC Early Learning Framework, and work together to create environments that deliver quality programs which help children and families thrive. Learn more here.