The Greater Victoria School District is providing school care for children of essential service workers. The school care program provides care and learning opportunities for students enrolled in the District, and prioritizes the needs of families who are tier one service workers (health services, emergency responders, law enforcement and social services).
School care services are being provided for school-aged children from 5 to 12 years old. The program operates at 13 schools across Greater Victoria, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“We need to support our frontline workers as they continue to protect us and maintain essential services that keep our community functioning,” said Superintendent Shelley Green. “Our schools are open to serve the families whose parents or guardians are in critical roles—and we are putting forward every effort to ensure these students have a safe and positive experience in our care.”
“Principals and Vice-Principals have been instrumental in the implementation of school care. They are working hard to create welcoming spaces and coordinate the schedules of Educational Assistants and families,” said Board Chair Jordan Watters. “District staff have gone above and beyond to get this program up and running in such short order. A big kudos to the Educational Assistants who are stepping forward to care for our students in this challenging time and our custodians who are keeping our buildings clean and safe. The level of commitment our staff has shown toward students and families is impressive and we are proud of the service they are providing.”
The District conducted an online survey and directly connected with parents and guardians to determine how many families required school care. The school care program has now been operating for two weeks and has approximately 80 children registered.
The District anticipates the demand for services will increase. If you are an essential service worker and still require childcare for your school-aged child, please contact the district at community@sd61.bc.ca.