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Langley francophone families benefit from new child care centre
May 14, 2023
Francophone children in Langley are benefiting from child care that will deepen connections to their culture and enrich their learning with the opening of a new French-language child care centre at école des Voyageurs.
“This new child care centre, conveniently located on school grounds, will make life easier for busy Langley francophone families and give them the peace of mind of knowing their kids are well cared for,” said Grace Lore, Minister of State for Child Care. “We know that access to affordable, quality, inclusive child care is life-changing for families, and by working with the Conseil scolaire francophone, we’re creating French-language child care spaces where they are needed most.”
The new child care centre, Garderie Les aventuriers, features approximately 40 licensed spaces, including before- and after-school care, and care for children from 30 months to five years old. The centre was made possible through $1.3 million for Conseil scolaire francophone (CSF) from the Province’s 2021 Rapid Renovation Fund.
“Schools are the heart of a community and investments, like this French-speaking child care centre, will help bring families together and preserve the francophone culture,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “We have made historic investments in Langley and are committed to continuing to work with the CSF and school districts to co-locate child care on school grounds.”
Since 2018, the Province has invested $3.9 billion in the 10-year ChildCareBC plan, including funding the creation of more than 31,800 new licensed child care spaces, with more than 1,000 of these spaces in Langley.
“We are deeply grateful to the Fédération des parents francophones de Colombie-Britannique, the dedicated staff and our partners from the Ministry of Education and Child Care for their work throughout this extensive project,” said Marie-Pierre Lavoie, board chair, CSF. “Their commitment to creating French-speaking living and learning spaces enables children and youth in our region to fully embrace their francophone identity from early childhood.”
Geneviève Lefebvre, a francophone parent with children at the new facility, said: “Our family feels so privileged to be able to attend this new daycare with its perfect location, and we have one drop-off with our oldest at the big-kid school, our second child at the daycare and, in a couple of years, our littlest child will follow in their footsteps. The French language is a big part of our identity. We couldn’t ask for more, as this child care only deepens our roots and strengthens the connections that unite our small francophone community.”