The BGC Lethbridge (formerly called the Boys and Girls Club) will provide childcare services and help fund a new indoor play area at the new Coaldale rec centre.
The organization signed a 10-year agreement with the Town of Coaldale last month, committing to provide afterschool programming, summer youth camps and childcare starting when the facility opens in 2024.
“Since 2019, BGC Lethbridge has been a proud member of the Coaldale community,” said Nadine Veenendaal, club lead at BGC Lethbridge’s Jennie Emery location. “I’m excited to expand the reach of BGC Lethbridge in Coaldale, and to better meet the needs of our growing community. BGC Lethbridge is thrilled to be partnering with the Town of Coaldale and to provide services at the much-anticipated community rec centre.”
BGC Lethbridge will provide care for children as young as three and will have access to more than 3,000 square feet of daycare space and 2,500 square feet of play area. The town will match grant funding to help build the new play area.
“Just recently, BGC Lethbridge received approximately $300,000 from the province’s Community Facility Enhancement Program for the construction of an indoor play structure in the rec centre,” said Russ Tanner, director of community services for the Town of Coaldale. “This is great news because once we match this grant funding with some of the funding received through our Coaldale STRONG! Capital Campaign, we’ll be able to build a structure that rivals some of the biggest and best in southern Alberta.”
Mayor Jack Van Rjn said options for daycare in the town are limited and afterschool programs remain over capacity. “That’s why we wanted to make sure that quality childcare services would be available at the new rec centre once it opens,” he said. “A lot of people don’t realize it, but providing access to quality childcare is about more than supporting safe and healthy childhood development. It’s also about supporting working parents and by extension, the local economy.”