Prince George, B.C. – 250News has learned the Child Development Centre in Prince George will be shutting down its daycare service at the end of this year.

Sources tell 250News parents were given notification today and that the closure of the service is a result of reduced funding.

CDC Board of Directors Vice President Gary Russell says  the CDC  has been struggling with this decision for a while “We have made a  decision,  the Board of Directors,  to discontinue the daycare services”   it’s a decision  that will impact  about 20 children.   A further 20  will be entering  kindergarten this fall.

Russell   is confident those  not entering  kindergarten will be able to find  worthwhile  spots “There’s a ton of really good programs in Prince George,  the vast majority of these families will be able to find alternative care.”

He says  the  decision is “Strictly financial”  and that  the decision to close the service was not  done  lightly “But the shift will allow us to enhance our  support services for  children with special needs.  Really, the key here is our daycare  program has been losing funds for many  years.  We believe  the funds we have been using to  support our daycare program could be better used to support other programs, so things like  therapy,  supported child care and development,  they also have increasing demand over the years,  so we really feel that’s the best place  to spend our money.”