Smithers Child Care Plan
The Town of Smithers recognizes that access to quality child care is an essential service and critical piece of social infrastructure. It benefits families, local economy, contributes to a healthy community and overall resident quality of life. The Smithers Child Care Plan, completed in 2021, is a guiding document for the Town of Smithers to use to fulfill its role in addressing child care gaps and support new space creation.
Taking Action
With child care spaces critically limited in Smithers, the Town has taken proactive steps to implement the Child Care Plan’s 13 action items with funding from Northern Development Initiative Trust’s Complete Communities Fund Program. This was a collaborative process involving community partners, local organizations, schools, Early Childhood Educators, Town staff, Smithers Council, and the broader community. This 14-month project concluded in January 2024.
- Child Care Plan Implementation Project: Update Report (June 2023)
- Child Care Plan Implementation Project: Final Report (January 2024)
Child Care at Ranger Park
Following completion of the Smithers Child Care Plan Implementation Project, the Town of Smithers conducted community engagement to explore applying for 100% capital funding through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund Program to build a new child care facility in a portion of Ranger Park.
At the February 27th, 2024, Regular Meeting, Smithers Council received the Staff Report and engagement summary, and approved designating a portion of Ranger Park for the construction of a new child care facility through the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund Program. In May 2024, Council selected the YMCA as the facility operator following a Request for Expression of Interest process. The Town’s application to the New Spaces Fund was submitted in early August 2024. This included a conceptual design of the facility, with the final site location in Ranger Park pending future community engagement.
Future Engagement
The Town will conduct another round of engagement in late November or early 2025, inviting the community and neighborhood residents to provide feedback on preferred siting options in Ranger Park, pending grant approval. A Traffic Impact Assessment is currently underway to inform this engagement process. Residents within 60 meters of Ranger Park will receive notification letters, and the broader community will be notified via the Town of Smithers Facebook page, website, and newspaper notices.
If the Town’s ChildCareBC New Spaces application is approved, the detailed design process of the facility will begin using the preferred siting location. Part of this process includes an Environmental Phase 1 Report, a Geotechnical Report, a landscape plan, and an arborist report.
Child Care Resources