File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Curtis Goodrum

CHILD CARE CHANGES

SD73 to allow third-parties to run before- and after-school child care across Kamloops

Mar 11, 2026 | 5:38 PM

KAMLOOPS — In a Board of Education meeting Monday night (March 9), School District 73 (SD73) trustees directed the district to stop running its after- and before-school child care. The district currently has 16 before- and after-school childcare programs, with 12 of them already being run by private contractors. Schools run by the district are Parkcrest, A.E. Perry, Arthur Hatton and Marion Schilling.

“We had the opportunity to meet again, discuss it as a Board of Education with operations [Monday] night, in camera, and then reported publicly that we made an amendment to the motion to have the timeline extended to the fall of 2027 for the request for proposals and look at transition, but allowing us to have conversation, communication, work with impacted staff,” said Board Chair Heather Grieve.

The programs at the schools ran like a pilot, with staff being on temporary contracts. SD73 Superintendent Mike St. John believes this change will be a benefit to the schools because it will help the district line up all its programs.

“We anticipate there would be the possibility, with the numbers of staff that third-party operators would be able to provide, there will be a greater number of students or kids in the community that would be able to be supported there because they will have more staff and will be able to support more students in the program,” said St. John.

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Springing forward, one last time

Mar 11, 2026

Question of the Week

Are you going to try one of the new e-scooter or e-bike rentals around Kamloops?

Mar 09, 2026

1000 WAYS TO HEAL

1000 WAYS TO HEAL: Two Spirit People

Mar 09, 2026

The 2027 deadline is meant to give plenty of time for third-party operators to get into schools, but if no operator is found, the district will not end its programs immediately. 

“There is optimism with our district staff that they will be able to find third-party operators who will be able to meet the requests through the RFP process. That being said, the district has been very clear that we will not close, those before- and after-school care programs if we’re not able to find a third-party operator,” said Grieve. 

The district also emphasized it will be communicating throughout the process with parents.