Explainer: Child care facility coming to KPU Surrey campus
In partnership with MNBC and CapU, early childhood care and education courses will also be offered at the Surrey campus this fall
Child care facility is coming to KPU, as well an early childhood care and education diploma. (KPU/Flickr)
Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) provided funding to Kwantlen Polytechnic University to develop a 61-space child care facility at the Surrey campus. MNBC and KPU will collaborate in the planning, finance, and operation of the space.
The facility will have 36 spaces for infants and toddlers, and 25 for children between the ages of two-and-a-half to kindergarten age, and Métis children will have priority access.
The space will offer opportunities for the KPU community to access child care and services for those who need it.
“MNBC has a wealth of experience and resources in child care provision and we are excited to work with them toward the planning, finance, and operation of the facility,” wrote Diane Purvey, provost and vice president at KPU, in an email statement to The Runner.
“This partnership also reflects the university’s commitment to Indigenization. MNBC’s involvement will ensure education in the facility is culturally relevant and involves the inclusion of local Elders, Culture Keepers and community members. There will be an ongoing focus ensuring programs are inclusive of Métis, First Nations and Inuit cultures,” she wrote.
In partnership with Capilano University and MNBC, KPU is also offering early childhood care and education (ECCE) courses at the Surrey campus starting this fall. The ECCE diploma meets the requirements of the Early Childhood Educator Registry for the ECE Certificate to Practice, Infant/Toddler Certificate to Practice, and for the Special Needs Certificate to Practice, according to Capilano University’s website.
“Once built, the KPU campus facility would provide practicum placement opportunities for ECE students and opportunities for KPU students and employees to access child care,” Purvey wrote.
The diploma will give students the knowledge and skills to work in preschools and child care centres with children under the age of five. Courses in the diploma will also fulfill the requirements of early childhood educator registry, infant and toddler certificates, and special needs certificates.
“At the present time, the facility is in the design phase and those plans will be informed by the KPU2050 Official Campus Plan,” wrote Purvey.
