A Kelowna development center for children that is slated to close for good after 57 years has sent a letter to BC’s premier inviting him to visit the facility.
“We would hope he would come,” said Starbright Children’s Development Center executive director Rhonda Nelson. “We’re hoping he’ll pay us a visit.”
Starbright’s contract was set to expire at the end of March but the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) has told the non-profit organization it will provide the facility with transitional funding until the end of June.
That will give families more time to transition to what’s being called a Pilot Family Connections Center (FCC).
Starbright provides developmental support to children from birth until school-entry age.
“For children under six there is that window of early intervention that is critical,” Nelson said.
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The province is moving to an FCC model as it centralizes support services for children from birth all the way to age 18.
“To be a pilot, it should be run concurrently or to keep us as part of an early intervention FCC and allow the pilot to occur for over six years of age,” Nelson said.
On Friday, Nelson sent a letter to Premier David Eby inviting him to pay Starbright a visit to see what the facility is all about before such a drastic decision is made.
The letter reads in part: “Your government department’s decision is about to set in motion a destructive process from which there will be no recovery. Our agency – and our staff – will be gone, and the lives of families will be turned upside down.”
It goes on to say: “I would like to invite you to personally come to Kelowna and visit our Centre. You would have an opportunity to meet our board members, meet and speak with our staff, talk with our parents/guardians of the little souls we work to support, and hear from other agencies that depend on the services we provide.”
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When asked if she had heard back from the premier’s office, Nelson said not yet.
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“I am ever hopeful that there will be a response,” Nelson said. “This is important. This is important for children and these children that we work with. They’re the youngest of that vulnerable population.”
Global News contacted the premier’s office to ask if David Eby plans on taking up the invitation.
In an email, a spokesperson said, “We always review the Premier’s packed calendar and competing priorities whenever we receive invitations like this one.”
“The Premier has been informed of the developments with this provider.”
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Liberal leader Kevin Falcon said Eby should absolutely be taking up the offer to visit given the magnitude of the decision being made.
“David Eby should get on a plane, get up there and go see what he’s closing down before he makes that decision,” Falcon said.
Falcon said the impending closure would be devastating for thousands of families.
“It’s Kelowna today, it’s going to be another community tomorrow,” he said. “I am shocked, frankly, that this NDP government continues to go forward with this very discredited hub model they call it, which has been a disaster in Ontario. And they call this a pilot project. If it’s a pilot project, let’s try it out and see what kind of results we get.”
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Falcon said he plans on being in Kelowna in March and that Starbright will be one of his first stops.
The contract for the FCC in the Central Okanagan went to ARC Programs, a private company that sub-contracts out services to non-profit organizations and other private businesses.
It’s already in the process of renovating a 12,000-square-foot facility for the FCC at the Capri Center Mall in Kelowna.
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