It’s been supporting families in the Central Okanagan for 40 years, but the days for the Childhood Connections Okanagan Family & Childcare Society in in Kelowna, B.C., are numbered after the provincial government didn’t renew its contract.
“We’re at a loss of why and what to do next,” said Tim Ropchan, Childhood Connections executive director.
Ropchan said the organization received news that its contract, which ends March 31, will not be renewed last Tuesday.
“Extremely unexpected,” Ropchan said. “We’ve held it (contract) for 40 years. It’s pretty shocking.”
The organization was founded back in 1977. Last year, it helped support more than 6,000 families.
News of the looming closure has hit those who rely on the services hard.
“We are heartbroken,” said parent Melissa Costa.
Services offered at Childhood Connections include a toy library that allows members to borrow toys free of charge.
“I have used the toy library every week for six years,” Costa said. “I can’t even imagine purchasing that.”
The centre also helps families access child care and supports them in filling out all the necessary paperwork.
In addition, it offers all kinds of parenting programs and drop-in child care.
“Our child care closed down with very short notice right before my daughter went into kindergarten, so she used the child care drop-in for an entire summer,” Costa said.
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Childhood Connections is also a place of support for daycare providers, including holding required workshops for their early childhood educators.
Ropchan said the process came up for procurement last fall with different organizations submitting proposals
“So all organizations could bid on this contract, which ended up being a three-year contract worth about $2 million so a bigger investment into the CCRR (child care resource and referral) for the province of B.C. is nearly double the money that we’ve been receiving before,” Ropchan said.
“So we created a beautiful proposal about using partnership to expand our services.”
But the province awarded the contract to the YMCA.
“You’re taking away funding from something you haven’t even seen. That’s crazy. You’re taking away funding from something that’s been successful,” Ropchan said.
Adding to the frustration is the fact that half a million dollars was invested to create the 3,200-square-foot centre when the organization moved into the new space just two years ago.
“What a waste, what a waste,” said Ropchan. “Why create this specifically-designed space for these services for this contract to just have it go away?”
In an email to Global News, the ministry of education and childcare said as a result of the procurement process, service providers may change but the services themselves will continue to be offered in the regions and, through approximately $6.3 million in additional funding, it is expecting to see around 15 more physical locations in more communities.
The email goes on to say the process will not interfere with, or reduce, service levels beyond a short, interim start-up period for communities with new CCRR providers.
The organization has written a letter to both the ministry and the premier’s office hoping the minister responsible and/or the premier come to visit the facility before deciding to close it.
“A pretty big sense of disbelief that someone in Victoria sitting at a desk would be able to make such a life-changing decision for the city of Kelowna,” Costa said.
“People are going to be completely devastated.”
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