Kelowna daycare closes voluntarily due to COVID-19

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A Kelowna childcare facility has closed their doors temporarily due to COVID-19.

Building Blocks Educational Childcare facility in Kelowna on Gordon Drive closed voluntarily on Friday following what they have described as "staffing impacts related to COVID-19."

Laura Forbes, director of Building Blocks Educational Childcare, tells Castanet, "we have been working closely with Interior Health and the BCCDC this week. Late yesterday and into the evening, we worked through every possible solution to continue operating safely."

Forbes didn't go into detail, but indicated the issue revolves around staffing levels, "while working within the current COVID-19 protocols, we must still adhere to childcare licensing regulations as to ratio and classroom composition. Unfortunately, given our current staffing levels we did not feel that we could continue to appropriately staff our programs in safe cohorts."

In a news release Friday, Interior Health indicated they are, "working closely with Building Blocks childcare centre on a cluster of COVID-19 cases affecting a select group of its childcare centre community."

Forbes says it's been a challenging time and they are working with Interior Health. 

"We fully recognize the difficulty being without childcare means for many of our families and the impact this will have on our hard-working team; but we had to make the decision that was in the best interest of the health and wellbeing of our students and staff."

Interior Health reminds British Columbians that COVID-19 cases in the childcare settings are not unexpected, "Interior Health public health is actively working with the childcare centre and we appreciate the excellent co-operation from their administrators and staff."

The Sutherland Building Blocks campus has not been affected.