Trail’s Unicorn Childcare Centre moves toward construction
By City of Trail
The long-awaited Unicorn Childcare Centre is moving forward with construction, marking a significant step toward addressing childcare needs in the City of Trail.
“This project has been years in the making,” said Mayor Colleen Jones. “We’re thrilled to see it come to life and to know that families in our region will soon have access to the kind of childcare that meets their real-world needs.”
The Centre will be managed by Kootenay Family Place, a trusted, local non-profit childcare agency known for its inclusive, diverse, and creative play-based learning environments.
“This is a passion project for us,” said Gent Harrison the Executive Director of Kootenay Family Place. “We see the importance of childcare every day, and we cannot wait to operate this innovative new childcare centre.”
The Centre will initially open with regular hours and gradually expand to its full extended-hour model. Construction is expected to be completed by Spring 2027, with 44 licensed spaces, including 12 infant/toddler spots and two separate rooms for children aged three to five.
“This is an exciting next step for the community of Trail” said Rohini Arora, parliamentary secretary for child care. “When complete, these new spaces will give families in the area access to affordable high-quality child care that will make life easier for working people, especially single parents, particularly moms. Our government recognizes that child care is game changer for parents and we will continue to work with our partners to deliver new spaces throughout B.C.”
Support for the project includes:
- More than $2.45M from the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund;
- $733,000 from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities;
- $50,000 from Columbia Basin Trust for supply costs; and,
- Land transfer of a parcel in Tadanac from Teck to the City of Trail.
BACKGROUNDER:
The Unicorn Childcare Centre is an initiative aimed at addressing long-standing childcare gaps in the Lower Columbia region.
Originally proposed following a 2018 feasibility study, the project received funding approval in 2019. However, progress was delayed due to several factors, including the global COVID-19 pandemic, challenges in securing a qualified non-profit operator (a requirement of provincial funding), and cost escalations driven by inflation and construction market volatility.
While the original plan envisioned approximately 65 spaces, the significant escalation in construction costs post-pandemic against the set budget necessitated a reduction to 44 spaces. Despite these setbacks, the City and its partners remained committed to the project, and have now finalized the site plans and secured an operator.
The name “Unicorn” originated as a lighthearted reference to the rarity and ambition of extended-hour childcare.
