Kitsilano Vancouver - childcare recommendations
 

Hi there,
We are moving to Kitsilano this coming winter and need to look into arranging childcare - kids will be 5 months and 2.5 years when we arrive.
Will just need childcare for 3 mornings a week.
Can anyone recommend creches or info on childminders in the area so we can look into things.
Thanks!

Re: Kitsilano Vancouver - childcare recommendations
 

Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre start here

Re: Kitsilano Vancouver - childcare recommendations
 

there are a few Vancouver moms groups on Facebook that might be helpful and a Kitsilano parents group on meetup.com.

Re: Kitsilano Vancouver - childcare recommendations
 

thanks all!

Re: Kitsilano Vancouver - childcare recommendations
 

Been there, done that, ate the happy meal.

There's a few things to be aware of the most important of which is that you'll need to visit them in person, closely followed by; the decent ones have long waiting lists, months usually, 18 months in the case of UBCs childcare facility.

The law says that anyone who doesn't have a criminal record can set themselves up as a childcare provider, you don't need any kind of training or oversight if you're looking after 4 or less kids. Result ? You have a lot of moms "looking after" a few kids by plonking them down in front of the TV, feeding them and changing their nappies. Expect to pay around C$50-75 per day.

If they look after more than 4 kids then they have to be licensed and these are the ones you want. These are the daycarers that'll take the kids to Kits beach or Jericho, to the local parks (which are small but child friendly), cook them meals (not just microwaving moms leftovers) and generally do a stand up job.
A big plus sign is if the daycare people want to give your kid a trial run to see if they'll fit in, these are the ones who care about doing their job right.

Some of the best ones don't advertise, demand is high enough that word of mouth suffices. They also have a "graduation" type system so that they'll only look after kids in a certain age bracket. When I was working at UBC my son was 2.5 but the waiting list for their daycare was 18 months so he would've been too old to start by the time his name came up on the list.

Sadly this isn't something you'll be able to arrange from the UK, not unless you wanna end up with a single mom earning pin money from her apartment and relying on Nickelodeon to keep the kids quiet.

If you're working downtown you might wanna check out the YMCA childcare centers, this isn't a big city and our commute from Kits takes 20 mins by car.
Winter's not a good time to be looking unfortunately, daycare "graduation" tends to follow the school year, so there's a refresh in September and again in May.

If you do end up in Kits in a few months gimme a shout, I'd love to touch base with what's going on back home.

Oh yeah, there's a few Montessori daycare places around here that have a truly awesome reputation but they do have long waiting lists.

Re: Kitsilano Vancouver - childcare recommendations
 

Thanks a million Jack-Judge. That is super helpful.

If you get a chance would you mind sending me a PM with a few names of the better day-care and Montessori's that you know of / where you sent your kids.

Re: Kitsilano Vancouver - childcare recommendations
 

Agree with what JAck-Judge has said. This is why it's 'important' to be part of moms groups (FB, meetup) as that's when you hear about places freeing up.