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Childhood Connections

Childhood Connections is a not-for-profit society founded in 1977. The society sees a futures where every child in the Central Okanagan has access to care, education, and love to help children grow into confident, compassionate thriving adults .

Childhood Connections Okanagan Family & Childcare Society

History

In 1974, the Provincial Ministry of Human Resources approved funding so that a “first coordinator of family day care” could be hired.

At incorporation, (June of 1977) the Society was named “The Kelowna Family Day Care Society”. This reflected the focus of the time; small home-based day care settings giving care to children of working (and predominantly low income) parents.

Getting Established

The early history was a continuous struggle for funding by a dedicated group of volunteers. Throughout the 1970’s, temporary grants, applications and rejections for funds were common. By late 1976, services included assessing caregivers in their homes, placing children and making support visits.

Final Stages

In 2018, CCS began its journey to rebrand from Kelowna Child Care Society to Childhood Connections – Okanagan Family & Childcare Society. The rebranding also saw the Society get a new logo, and become connected to Social media with a presence on Facebook and Instagram, and work began on a new website. This new method of engagement saw the Society reaching more families and the user-ship of the Early Toy and Resource Lending Library increased significantly.

CCRR Chart Comparison

Memberships
2021-2022	428
2022-2023	724
Visits to Early Learning Library
2021-2022	686
2022-2023	1488

Early Learning Toy & Resource Library

The Early Learning Toy & Resource Library is for Early Childhood Educators, ECE Students, Caregivers, and Parents.

Childhood Connections has a publicly accessible collection of books, resources & materials related to early years education and care. The library provides a collection of items which support and recognize learning abilities, cultural diversity and the health & well being around us. The library has over 2,500 toys and resources available through an online website.

The book & resource library features a range of topics including: ECE theory and practice, program planning, child care administration and more.

Child Care Resource & Referral Centre

Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) centers make it easier for families to find and access responsive, inclusive, quality, licensed and registered child care by providing information, support, resources and referral services to parents and child care providers across British Columbia.

The Ministry of Education & Child Care provides funding to CCRRs, which work in partnership with the government to improve the accessibility, affordability, and quality of child care in all B.C. communities.