History

Cariboo Child Care Society (CCCS) was established as a non-profit registered society on August 14, 1973, by faculty members in responses to childcare needs on campus at Cariboo College, now Thompson Rivers University.

The first daycare building purchase was financed by a government grant and a bank loan, signed by two of the founding Society board members. The college generously donated the physical space for the building, helping to significantly reduce costs for the society. Cariboo began providing care for children aged three to five years.

In 1988 the college was able to loan the society an additional building next to the daycare allowing us to facilitate infant and toddler care. At the same time the Society pioneered a program for children with exceptionalities, offering full integration supported by one-on-one specialized programming. As childcare for children with exceptionalities changed through the years CCCS followed best practice and moved to using outreach community-based models. We continues to partner with families and accesses Supported Child Development to provide inclusive care to all children to the best of our ability.

As the demand for childcare grew the society was able to access capital funding through the ministry of Advanced Education, Training & Technology, and the Ministry of Women’s Equality to build a new center for children aged 8 weeks through to five years. Our original building was then used as a school age child care program for a while.

The purchase of Beyond the Bell in 2021 allows Cariboo to provide an out of school care program for 24 children attending South Sahali Elementary School.

Most recently, September 2022, Cariboo Child Care relocated to the edge of the TRU campus. Funding through the BC Government Creation of Child Care Spaces supported this move while adding an extra 25 3-5 spaces and 12 infant and toddler spaces to provide care to a total of 111 children.

Board of Directors

Philosophy

At Cariboo, we believe that responsive care, building secure and trusting relationships with children and their families is crucial to creating a warm and welcoming environment. Staff prioritize emotional and social well-being, partnerships with families and open respectful communication.  Our relationship with children is our foundation stone, the building block that fosters confidence, curiosity, empathy, resilience and self-belief.

We want children to be active partners in their learning journey and operate our centers using an emergent curriculum rather than a predetermined, theme-based syllabus. Our staff spend their time engaging with, observing and responding to children’s interests and needs to create an environment that is meaningful and relevant to children’s daily lives and learning. Our focus is on the process rather than product! We love children to think for themselves, create and solve problems, work collaboratively, and develop responsibility and perseverance.

The core values of the educators working at Cariboo are ‘Belonging, Play, Respect, and Competence’. We place children at the center of all early learning experiences.

Supporting staff and student learning

Cariboo educators are committed to their own professional development and best practice. All staff are encouraged to participate in annual training and professional development opportunities ensuring we maintain our reputation of providing excellent child care.

The main center is a practicum site for Thompson Rivers University Early Childhood Education program. We welcome students completing their basic certificate, Infant and Toddler and Special Needs certification.

We also support students in other TRU programs such as Nursing, Social Work, the Education and Skills Training Program and student volunteers from the International Training Center.