How Child Care Program support is helping to increase access to affordable child care for families in New Denver
“Being able to make a positive impact on children’s lives during their most formative years and seeing the world through their eyes with curiosity and enthusiasm is what inspires me.”
For Jasmeen and Meenu, Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) at Goat Mountain Kids Centre (GMKC), this work is more than a job—it’s a calling.
Located within Lucerne Elementary Secondary School, GMKC is operated by Goat Mountain Kids Society and provides multi-age child care for toddlers through twelve-year-olds. With two bright classrooms, outdoor play space and abundant green space, it’s a welcoming place for both children and educators.
Founded in 2016 by a group of parents, child care workers and school employees, GMKC was created to fill a critical gap. It remains the only licensed child care facility serving New Denver, Silverton and Hills. Before GMKC opened, families often drove up to an hour each way to access child care.
“That’s not sustainable,” says Andrea Savill, board member with Goat Mountain Kids Society. “Creating Goat Mountain Kids was a way to keep parents working and help our community thrive.”
Today, the centre supports 20 local families and employs a team of four ECEs, two Early Childhood Education Assistants (ECEAs), and additional support and casual staff. Together, they create a safe, nurturing environment that supports the whole child through play-based learning, literacy, creative activities and regular time outdoors.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to watch children grow in confidence and independence, achieve milestones and express themselves,” says Meenu. “Seeing that progress brings me a great sense of fulfilment.”
Delivering that quality care also requires significant education, training and dedication. Becoming an ECE can involve years of post-secondary education and practicum experience before entering the workforce.
“ECEs are critical to delivering high-quality child care,” says Andrea. “They invest time and energy into training and then apply that learning every day with our most precious population.”
Across the Columbia Basin, the demand for ECEs remains high, and recruiting and retaining educators can be especially challenging in small and rural communities. Limited wages, housing availability, transportation options and the cost of living all affect a centre’s ability to attract staff and educators’ ability to stay.
To help make child care affordable, accessible and sustainable across the region, Columbia Basin Trust works with communities and providers to support local solutions. This includes providing equipment funding to facilities that are adding new spaces, along with initiatives like the ECE Wage Subsidy and the ECE Training Wage Subsidy programs to support ECE recruitment and retention.
The Trust’s ECE Wage Subsidy Program plays a key role by topping up wages, helping child care providers recruit and retain qualified staff while keeping fees reasonable for families.
“For a small community like New Denver, the wage subsidy is huge,” says Andrea. “It allows us to offer more livable wages, reflect the value of our educators’ work and help offset challenges like housing and transportation.”
For Jasmeen and Meenu, the impact is tangible.
“As educators, the wage subsidy recognizes the value of what we do. It provides financial stability and encourages people to stay in the field.”
Beyond the centre’s walls, access to dependable child care supports the entire community. Families who rely on Goat Mountain Kids include teachers, nurses, RCMP members, carpenters, grocers, municipal staff and others who help New Denver function day to day.
“Because of the care we provide, people can live and work here,” says Andrea. “In a small community, we have to show up for one another. When families are supported, everyone benefits.”
Since 2017, the Trust has helped create over 1,600 child care spaces in the Basin and improve over 3,600 existing spaces—including those in New Denver. Since 2022, the Early Childhood Educator Wage Subsidy and Training Subsidy programs have helped certify more than 320 ECEs and enhance wages for more than 360 educators annually.
