For Immediate Release
May 29, 2015
OSNS Receives Provincial Government Grant to Open Licensed
Developmental Child-Care Centre
PENTICTON, BC – The OSNS Child & Youth Development Centre is pleased to announce today that it has been awarded a sizeable provincial government grant, for the purpose of renovations towards a new 24-space licensed child-care centre. The new daycare, to be named KinderBear Developmental Daycare, will be uniquely equipped to support children with developmental challenges. It will be located in the lower level of the existing OSNS facility at #103 - 550 Carmi Avenue.
Penticton MLA Dan Ashton visited the Centre today, to reveal that the government is investing $224,487 under the BC Early Years Strategy to create this space. “The funding enables the OSNS to provide eight spaces for infants and toddlers and 16 spaces for pre-school aged children. Early education for our toddlers and pre-schoolers is critical to ensuring they get the care and attention they need,” Ashton said. “Parents, too, deserve the comfort of knowing there are spaces available and that their child is safe and cared for in an excellent facility that specializes in developmental support,” states Ashton.
The new KinderBear Developmental Daycare will mirror the developmental support offered by the Centre, providing qualified staff to consult on the skills that children receiving therapies in speech-language, physical and occupational therapies require.
“The addition of KinderBear Developmental Daycare will allow OSNS to complement the work of community partners and existing childcare facilities with a focus on supporting children facing developmental challenges,” states Manisha Willms, Executive Director of OSNS. “Our clinical and early childhood teams are very excited to be part of adding much needed spaces for the children and families of the South Okanagan.”
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About OSNS
The Okanagan Similkameen Neurological Society (OSNS) Child & Youth Development Centre is an integrated pediatric therapy centre, focusing on providing early intervention developmental therapies and Autism treatment programs to children from birth to school aged. In addition to the therapy programs, the Centre also runs KinderPlace, a developmental preschool.
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For more information please contact:
Manisha Willms, Executive Director
(250) 492.0295
manisha.willms@osns.org