Resource centre reaches out

By Dan Hilborn
Published June 16, 2004


The YMCA has been awarded the contract to keep open the Burnaby Child Care Resource and Referral Centre, which offers information and services to local day-care providers and parents.

"All of the research shows that our early years lay the foundation for the rest of our lives, and the best experiences we can give our children are what we should be striving for," said Claire Murphy, program director for the centre.

The office, located at the Heights Resource Centre at 250 Willingdon Ave., had been operated for the past 14 years by the Burnaby/New Westminster Family Daycare Association, which decided not to renew its contract this year.

While the centre is currently focused on providing services to day-care operators in Burnaby and New Westminster, Murphy said the YMCA plans to expand the scope of services for parents over the coming months.

Murphy, who also oversees a similar centre in Coquitlam, said the two offices are hoping to work together to expand the level of service they provide their communities.

For example, the offices have information on all the licensed and legally unlicensed child-care centres in Burnaby and New Westminster, and can provide information on the type of service offered and which ones have space available.

In Burnaby, the centre has information on 155 licensed day-care operations at 138 different sites. Included are 49 licensed family child-care providers, 13 license not required (LNR) family child- care providers, 30 licensed centres for children aged three to five years, 14 licensed centres for under-three-year-olds, 32 preschool centres and 30 centres that offer care to school-aged children.

The centre also provides training to care providers, and can assist unlicensed centres in obtaining their license.

Child care providers can also gain access to the toy and resource lending libraries, which consist of more than 750 items at the two centres.

Murphy said the provincial Ministry of Children and Family Development has asked the centre to reach out to the large number of unregistered family child care centres that do not require formal government licenses.

"That's part of our outreach," Murphy said. ""That's also part of the change in our service direction. The government really wants us to reach those in that informal sector, and those care providers who aren't connected to any kind of support centre.

For more information, visit the centre at 250 Willingdon, or call 604-294-1109.