Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds
Childcare spaces

Gateway City Church hoping to begin work on new daycare by September

Jul 23, 2020 | 4:11 PM

KAMLOOPS — A brand new daycare is being planned at Gateway City Church in Kamloops, thanks to some funding from the province.

The funding will create 75 new childcare spaces for Gateway Children’s Centre, which will be located in the basement of the church.

The church has been looking at creating a daycare for years, but decided to go for it upon learning about the new childcare spaces fund.

The space will be fully renovated before Gateway Children’s Centre can officially open.

“We’re waiting for the city to fully approve the building plans that have been submitted to them by the construction company, so we’re just kind of waiting on that and that’s a bit of a process,” said Lead Pastor Matthew Schultz. “Once that is approved, we can start renovating, building, doing everything that is required and that, if it starts in September, which is what we’re looking at right now, probably would end around March.”

Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

The daycare will be a separate non-profit from the church and will be open to anyone in the community, but will be run from a Christian perspective.

Schultz says the church is excited to be able to help fill a need of the community.

“As the years go by, it’s become really obvious and you see the call out in our community how desperate people are for childcare spaces,” he said. “So, here we have a great building that we felt that this could be a solution to the problem in the community.”

The province is also providing funding for 37 new childcare spaces at Cariboo Childcare Society.