It takes a village to raise our children
The collective efforts and generosity of our community have been invaluable to BCC over the years.
Thank you all for making a difference!
Local
Allan Financial
Allan Financial is a long term supporter of the Gail Taylor Bursary Fund offering tuition for families who could otherwise not attend preschool. And also supports the fundraising efforts at the annual Wild Child party
Bowen Island Building Centre
The Bowen Building Centre donates yearly to the Gail Taylor Bursary Fund and applies for matching funds.
Bowen Island Community Foundation
The Bowen Island Community Foundation funds various initiatives, including, in 2016, the new Toddler Wing with a generous grant of $10,000.
Bowen Island Municipality
The Municipality of Bowen Island has always supported BCC, awarding Family Place a yearly grant to help cover operational expenses.
Digitally Hip
Digitally Hip is a long-time supporter of BCC, offering computer services expertise!
“Dependable. Honourable. Creative.” is their slogan and it’s true.
Knick Knack Nook
The Knick Knack Nook supports various projects and donates funding from auctions to BCC programming.
Nicolette McIntosh
Nicolette Macintosh donated the Nicolette Macintosh Bursary, which provides scholarships for BCC employees who wish to pursue further study in the arts in connection with their work with children at BCC.
Smooth Stones Foundation
Smooth Stones Foundation is a long-time supporter of all BCC programs, providing yearly funding to support all our work
Stongs Market
Stong’s Market donates yearly a percentage of food bought on Bowen to both Family Place and Bowen Children’s Centre’s other programs
Provincial
Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch
The Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch supports the BCC through gaming funds.
Ministry of Children and Family Development
The Ministry of Children and Family Development supports BCC through the Child Care Operating Funding program. MCFD also supports Family Place through yearly operating funding.
United Way of the Lower Mainland
The United Way of the Lower Mainland supports the BCC by enabling people to target their United Way donations to the BCC.
Bowen's Early Childhood Development Table
Bowen’s ECD Table is a partnership that enables all the key organizations, educators and caregivers working with Bowen Island children from birth through 12 years of age to work and plan together. For more information on this exciting new partnership, please see our ECD Table blog article.
The Partners—all volunteers!
- Bowen Children’s Centre: Board member Caroline Parker and all program staff
- Bowen Island Community School: including the Principal Scott Slater and Community School Coordinator, Sarah Haxby
- Bowen Island Family Place: Lesley Gaunt, Tracy McLachlan
- Bowen Island Kinderhaus: owner/operator, Elisabeth Mueller
- Bowen Island Library: Sue Geist and Tina Nielsen
- Bowen Island Montessori: Helen Davenport
- Bowen Island Municipality: represented by Councillors Gary Anders and Melanie Mason;
- Bowen Island Community Recreation: Shauna Jennings and Natasha Currah
- The Caring Circle: Colleen O’Neill and Tamara Soloway
- Monica’s Kid Program: owner/operator, Monica Senn
- Speech and Language Pathologist: Teri Shea
- Vancouver Coastal Health’s Early Years nurse for Bowen: Andrea Firth
- West Vancouver Early Learning Principal: Sandralynn Shortall
Bowen Island Building Centre
The Bowen Building Center co-sponsors Hot Dogs and Hammers, a free program for families and children and they are supportive sponsors of BCC initiatives for families with young children.
Bowen Island Community Recreation
BCC and Bowen Island Community Recreation partner in many ways—applying for and administering community grants, working together to run programs for children 3 – 12, and managing Family Play Night to name a few—we share the load!
Bowen Island Community School
The Bowen Island Community School, including the Community School Association and the Parents Advisory Council, work with BCC to support childhood learning on Bowen Island.
Bowen Island Municipality
BCC and the Municipality of Bowen Island are long time partners. The Bowen Island Municipality supports all our endeavours, from participation in the Bowen Early Childhood Development Table, to working together to promote the latest in early childhood knowledge and information for families, to supporting Family Place financially.
Bowen Literacy Task Force
The Bowen Literacy Task Force is a partnership of the following organizations whose mandate is to promote literacy on Bowen to all ages:
- Bowen Island Arts Council;
- Bowen Island Library;
- Caring Circle;
- Bowen Island Community School; and
- Bowen Children’s Centre
Connect For Kids
Connect for Kids offers information, planning support and community awareness to meet the needs of children from birth through 12 years of age on the North Shore, including Bowen Island. Bowen Island is represented at this table by the Bowen Children’s Centre and the Bowen Island Municipality.
- research and analysis of vulnerabilites of children on the North Shore including Bowen Island; and
- the Connect For Kids planning table has funding from the United Way of the Lower Mainland to support and sustain programming such as Mother Goose, the Ages and Stages universal offer roll out as well as Family Play Night.
Fabulous Finds
Fabulous Finds is a consignment clothing store that helps support the BCC annual Clothing Sale.
The Snug Cafe
The Snug, a Bowen restaurant has been supplying Family Place with coffee for 10 years!
DONATE IN ONE OF TWO WAYS
Our mandate is to serve our community to the highest possible standards while controlling costs so that childcare is affordable for the young families on Bowen that need our services. We are grateful for the community’s support as we meet the needs of this island’s children and their parents in an environment of persistently rising costs. You can donate via Paypal by clicking on their icon above left (fees of approx 3.5% apply); or you can donate via the United Way by clicking on their logo above right, then naming the Bowen Children’s Centre and its charitable registration number 14105 1672 RR0001 in the box labelled “Additional details about your gift.” Please note that the United Way applies a $12 processing fee to all such targeted donations.
Bowen Children’s Centre is a registered charitable organization, and gratefully accepts cash and in-kind donations. You may target your gift to a particular fund as outlined below or, if you wish, you can contact our Executive Director Ann Silberman at 604-947-9626 to make an alternate form of donation, such as a legacy or corporate gift. BCC issues tax receipts for donations of $20 or more and may issue receipts for certain in-kind donations as well.
Target Your Donation
While we always welcome general donations, there are also two funds at Bowen Children’s Centre which you may specify as a beneficiary of your donation if you wish. These funds are:
- The Gail Taylor Bursary Fund
This fund helps families who otherwise might not have the money send their children to pre-school. Families who don’t qualify for government subsidy may apply for sponsorship through this fund. If your financial situation has changed, if money is tight or if your child needs extra support to be at pre-school, you may qualify for assistance from this fund. And your application will be entirely anonymous to the board that divides up the money. Last year, $8000 went into the bursary fund which helped six families.
- The Nicolette McIntosh Scholarship Fund
This fund was created to recognize the outstanding contribution of renowned artist and long-time supporter of Bowen Children’s Centre, Mrs. Nicolette McIntosh. The fund provides scholarships for BCC employees who wish to pursue further study in the arts in connection with their work with children at BCC. We are grateful to Mrs. McIntosh for her long-standing and continued support of our work.
Bowen Children’s Centre was built by volunteers who believed in supporting early childhood development and is still managed by a volunteer board that depends heavily on volunteer members and community partners. If you’re interested in volunteer opportunities, please contact the Executive Director, Ann Silberman, at 604.947.9626.
Employment & Internship
If you’re hard-working, responsible, gentle, play well with others, possess a good sense of humour, enjoy the company of small children, and have sound knowledge of early childhood development, we’d like to know you.
We’re always looking for substitutes to fill in when a staff member is away. Working at the Centre as a sub is a good way to find out if we’re a good fit for each other.
For information on employment and internship opportunities, please contact the Executive Director at 604.947.9626.