Grand Kids Learning Center Provides Childcare to Children 8 Weeks to 6 Years in Fraser + Granby with Plans to Expand
Driving questions for so many considering raising a family in Grand County are around childcare: What are the early education options? How available are they? While we have several high-quality early childhood care centers, Grand Kids Learning Center is one of the longest-standing early childhood care non-profit organizations here in the Fraser Valley. Currently serving 82 children each day at locations in both Fraser and Granby, GKLC is committed to investing in and creating opportunities for young children and their families in our community.
PROGRAMMING
Grand Kids embraces the mountain lifestyle, encouraging activity and creativity through experiential learning. They couple high-quality, researched-based, developmentally appropriate social-emotional and academic curriculum with play and adventure adventure. Outdoor play is prioritized daily, and extracurricular activities like downhill ski lessons at Granby Ranch, cross-country ski lessons at Devil's Thumb Ranch, gymnastics and swimming lessons at Grand Park Recreation Center, and field trips to Rocky Mountain National Park are hallmarks of their programming.
They offer five different classrooms which serve infants, toddlers, junior preschoolers, preschoolers, and Pre-K, tailoring teacher training and curriculum to the corresponding development needs. Learn more about each classroom's programming here.
HISTORY
Grand Kids Learning Center was originally founded as a childcare center managed and funded by Winter Park Resort in the nineties. In 1998, the organization moved from the resort to one of their current locations in the Wapiti Meadows Housing Development in Fraser. In 2018, Grand Kids partnered with the Fraser Creative Learning Center (established in 1979 on Eastom Ave. across from Fraser Valley Elementary), absorbing their operations and becoming Grand Kids Learning Center. With that change, GKLC utilized the two buildings to serve approximately 40 families - the infants and toddlers at the Wapiti Meadows location (the "brown building) and the preschoolers at the Eastom Ave. location (the "red building"). After Little Sprouts Learning Center on Thompson Rd. in Granby closed its doors in the fall of 2023, Grand Kids Learning Center took on the challenge of incorporating that building as a third location continue to offer care to those families. The Granby location currently offers toddler and preschool programming with plans in the works to offer infant care as well. They opened the doors as Grand Kids Learning Center at the Granby location in January 2024 and now serve around 80 families across the three locations.
EXPANSION PLANS
And GKLC is well aware that limited access to childcare is a significant challenge for our community. As more and more call this beautiful place home, our childcare needs grow, making access to high-quality, affordable childcare a topic at the forefront of community-wide conversations around investing in future generations, workforce sustainability, and community livability.
Currently, long wait lists are the norm at childcare centers across the county, with over 100 children on the wait list at Grand Kids Learning Center alone. Only 40% of child care needs are being met, according to data compiled by Grand Beginnings in its 2024 study. In an effort to better serve the community and expand services to more families, the team at GKLC is planning an expansion project.
Fraser's Victoria Village attainable housing development. The town recognizes that childcare, housing, and a sustainable workforce go hand-in-hand to create a thriving community. 8,400 square feet of the first phase of the development is slated as childcare space, allowing Grand Kids to increase the number of kids served to 130 - a huge step in addressing Grand County's childcare shortage. They hope to move into this new space in early 2026!
SUPPORT
If you're interested in supporting the amazing work GKLC does to invest in our community, they offer a variety of options for getting involved. Their two biggest fundraisers take place on the same weekend every September: the Bert & Ernie Golf Tournament at Pole Creek Golf Club and the Fall Festival at Rendezvous Event Center. Sponsor one or both of the events, register for the tournament, and/or attend the Fall Festival with your family. They also have several smaller fundraisers throughout the year. Check out and vote for their tree at the Lion's Club Festival of Trees in December, join the fun at the Winter Wonderland in February, or enjoy a morning at the spring Music & Mimosas brunch at Pole Creek's Bistro 28. They're always looking for volunteers to help with their fundraisers - it's a fun way to get involved and give back to the community. It's also easy to give online if you'd like to support GKLC financially.
GRATEFUL.
For kids that have the privilege of calling this place home, the opportunities they have to play outside and the beauty of growing up in such a safe, welcoming, and adventurous community are about as good as it gets. Grand Kids Learning Center has been and is instrumental in fostering that lifestyle for our kids while filling a huge need in the Fraser Valley, and we couldn't be more grateful for them and the work they do.
Posted by Leah Bishop on
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