POUCE COUPE, BC -- Twenty new childcare spaces are coming to Pouce Coupe.

The YMCA of Northern BC is partnering with School District 59 to expand childcare in the South Peace region.

The new school-age child care program will be located on the school grounds of Pouce Coupe Elementary, and will have twenty before- and after-school care spaces. The Pouce Coupe Child Care Centre will operate Monday to Friday from 6:45 a.m. to school start and school dismissal until 5:30 p.m.

The new spaces are designed to meet what Amanda Alexander, CEO of YMCA of Northern BC, calls “a growing demand for reliable school-aged childcare services.”

Christy Fennell, Superintendent of School Distric 59, said: “This opportunity provides families with accessible child care at their own community school. This opening will be the district’s fourth before and after school care program created in the last four years, and we appreciate the effort the YMCA has put into this partnership to support us on our journey of offering more child care spaces in all regions of our district.”

Parents will also pay lower fees for the program, following the provincial government’s fee reduction for childcare in September.

The YMCA of Northern BC currently provides care services for over 800 children from 0 to 12 years in Prince George, Vanderhoof, Fort St. James, Fort St. John, and Chetwynd.