The Richmond School District has decided to close its young parent program after more than 30 years of operation.
The Colts Daycare and Young Parent program, operated in partnership with Family Services of Greater Vancouver (FSGV), was established in 1991 to support young and expecting parents living in Richmond.
The Colts' young parent program, located on Richmond Secondary School grounds, is an educational and child-care program that allows young parents, up to the age of 26, to complete their high school education while building parenting and life skills.
This is different from the Colts daycare portion of the program, which is operated by FSGV.
An operational decision to discontinue the young parents program was made by Richmond School District staff after an extensive review of alternate education programs, explained David Sadler, spokesperson for the Richmond School District, citing low funding and staff ratio as reasons.
He added the decision to close the daycare portion of the program was made by FSGV, and not the school district.
Richmond resident and mother Kelly Koo, who is part of the Colts daycare program, said she has now been left in limbo after being told the program would no longer be offered after June.
She described the program as a "crucial support system" for young parents in the community, The program allowed her to focus on recovering from a difficult postpartum experience and continue her education at the same time.
"This daycare has served as a lifeline for young mothers in Richmond for decades. It offers not only quality child care, but a crucial opportunity for parents to finish high school, pursue careers and break cycles of hardship," said Koo.
"Removing this program places an impossible burden on young families. It's a direct blow to the future of young families in our community."
The Colts young parent program had "gradually shifted" to primarily serving adult learning, and staff have been in contact with current students of the program, explained Sadler.
As of Jan. 8, nine students are enrolled in the Colts program. Only one is a school-age student while the others are all adults, he added.
Sadler said projections for the 2025-2026 school year showed no school-age students would be enrolling in the program.
"In response, district staff are working closely with students, program staff and community partners to support individualized transitions to appropriate programs and services, including the Adult Graduation Program through Continuing Education," said Sadler.
"We remain committed to supporting each learner's unique educational and personal needs throughout this process."
Koo claimed the decision to close the daycare program was made without public consultation.
"There was no real effort to consult with students, families or community partners to explore ways to keep it going. We were simply told the daycare would be closing, and that was it," she said.
The Colts daycare program, she added, is a service that is in demand and has room to grow if spots were to be opened up to the public.
"It’s a place where young parents can continue their education and work while having access to child care, emotional support and a safe, understanding environment. These supports aren’t optional, they are necessities. Without them, a lot of us don’t have anywhere else to turn."
The Richmond School District is expecting the individualized transitions from the Colts program to other programs and services to be completed by December.
The Richmond News reached out to FSGV for a response, but was told no one was "available to speak to this at this time" prior to publication.
Editor’s note: Corrections have been made to the original version of this article.
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