A popular day care in Westsyde is set to close its doors in less than two months, representing another blow for parents looking for child care in Kamloops.
Muddy Buddies daycare, located just south of David Thompson Elementary, is closing its doors June 28th.
Owner Bev Smerdal’s lease can’t be renewed, as the building she’s in is being sold.
It’s a converted home which has acted as a day care for over 40 years at that location, which Smerdal notes has a large back yard for the children to play in.
Despite efforts by the families she currently serves, and others, she says it’s likely she’ll have to shut down her operation for the foreseeable future.
“To try and find another location that has as much space in the back yard as this one has, and fits in for so many families, will be very difficult,” lamented Smerdal. “There are specific licensing requirements that we have to meet in order to be allowed to have a child care center in a building. We also have to meet with the City’s approval.”
She says while disappointing for all the parents of the 31 kids who attend there, Smerdal says it’s going to be an extra challenge for the parents who have children who are special needs or neuro-divergent.
“A lot of centers right now that we do have in Kamloops are in commercial buildings,” noted Smerdal. “Being able to walk those children down to a public park can be very difficult if you have a child with safety concerns or a high-risk child.”
According to the latest figures from Interior Health, there are 3,509 licensed child care spaces in Kamloops.
This equates to around 30 licensed child care spaces for every 100 children under the age of 12 in Kamloops.
This does not include unlicensed facilities.
–With files from Brett Mineer