Two infant-toddler daycare programs running at New Westminster schools could be on the move to help address an ongoing classroom space crunch — but trustees want to do their best to make sure families aren’t displaced.
School District 40 is trying to find ways to cope with overcrowding at schools in the city’s core as it awaits funding for, and construction of, a new elementary school planned for the Simcoe Park site.
One of the ideas being contemplated involves the move of infant-toddler daycare programs that are currently run by the Purpose Society at two of those sites: one for 36 children on the Fraser River Middle School site, and another for 36 children at the École Qayqayt Elementary School site.
SD40 staff have proposed moving those two programs to the grounds of Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School and F.W. Howay Elementary School instead. The move could free up space to create six classroom spaces at the fast-growing schools: four at Fraser River Middle School and two at Qayqayt.
But the proposal didn’t sit well with trustees when it came up for discussion at the school board’s Oct. 4 operations committee meeting.
Trustee Anita Ansari said she couldn’t support moving those daycare programs out of the accessible downtown core and to a location like Howay, in Massey Victory Heights, which is much less accessible by transit. She worries the move could make daycare impossible for some families.
“These kinds of decisions have domino effects on lives: moms who can’t work coupled with the cost of living in our region,” she said.
Board chair Gurveen Dhaliwal said “thoughtful work” needs to be done to help the families of the 72 children in question. She suggested the district should work with its community partners to see if a downtown location can’t be found for the daycares rather than relying on school grounds in less accessible neighbourhoods.
SD40 'starved for space' to accommodate students
Secretary-treasurer Bettina Ketcham noted the school district is in a “far from ideal” situation when it comes to the daycares. While moving them could displace families their daycares, she said, leaving them where they are now could wind up displacing families from their neighbourhood schools instead.
In fact, some families have already felt the effects of the space shortage. This fall, the district had to redirect 24 students living in the Qayqayt catchment into other schools because there was no space left at the downtown school.
The district has also said a lottery system could be used at Qayqayt in the 2023/24 school year if — as is expected — kindergarten registrations outstrip available space.
“We are starved for space. We are displacing students from their catchment schools,” Ketcham said, noting the district is facing time pressure with finding capacity.
Trustee Danielle Connelly said the dilemma drives home the need for a change to the funding formula for new schools.
She suggested the district should have discussions with the city, noting the “big, sweeping front lawn” at city hall and the potential for extra portables.
“There’s discussions to be had, and I hope that some of these community partners, including the city, are open to having them,” she said.
Superintendent Karim Hachlaf said district staff is committed to continuing to have conversations with partner groups and with the care providers. He said the district will ensure it has looked at all options, including potential locations around downtown, and will return to the board with updates.
A followup report is expected at the Oct. 25 school board meeting.
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