Project Context
ECHEN Healing Society is a non-profit organization located in Quesnel, British Columbia, on the unceded traditional territories of the Southern Dakelh and Tshilqot’in peoples. The Society serves as an urban multi-service outlet for Indigenous peoples, offering an open-door policy that welcomes First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals, regardless of status, nation, or place of origin, with an inclusive priority.
A key focus of ECHEN is to support child development and create a strong foundation for Indigenous children and their families by expanding their childcare programs. By incorporating First Nations pedagogy into the childcare curriculum, ECHEN fosters cultural understanding, language revitalization, belonging, self-worth, and contributes to healing the harmful effects of colonization.
Nazko First Nation, a government of the Dakelh people in the North-Central Interior of British Columbia, serves children from the surrounding area, including Kluskus. The Nazko School serves 75-children from Kindergarten to Grade 7, and many of these children will benefit from the 80-space school-age care program.
The studies informing this initiative were guided by the Federal Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework, which sets a shared vision, principles, and a path forward for Indigenous early learning and childcare. The framework envisions “a Canada where all Indigenous children have the opportunity to experience high-quality, culturally rooted early learning and childcare programming.”
CitySpaces' Role
CitySpaces led the development of child care studies for ECHEN Healing Society and Nazko First Nation, collaborating closely with Mackin Architects, which provided the design and cost estimates for the capital funding application to the Province.
The reports, created to support the capital funding applications, included a Demographic Analysis, Needs Assessment, Staffing Plan, and Indigenous culture and language pedagogy.
The Needs Assessment incorporated data from Statistics Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, vulnerability scores derived from the Human Early Learning Partnership, Early Development Instrument, Government of British Columbia, and Northern Health Authority child care information, as well as 2023/24 engagement data. Both assessments highlighted a significant need for new childcare spaces in both Quesnel and Nazko.
ECHEN Healing Society’s proposed new childcare facility will be located on an 11-acre site, owned by ECHEN in Quesnel. The facility will offer 180-spaces for children aged 0-5 years, 80 spaces for school-age care programs, and also house an independent school.
The proposed Nazko Eagles’ Nest Child Care will be a newly constructed facility, providing 80-spaces for children from Kindergarten to Grade 5, as well as 30-spaces for children aged 30 months to school-age. The facility will offer beautiful views of the Nazko River and Nazko Lake, making it an ideal location for children to observe fish and wildlife. The child care program will emphasize First Nation culture and the Dakelh language, providing a strong foundation for the growth and success of children, families, and the wider community.
Design & Development Highlights
ECHEN’s Bears’ Paw childcare facility will be a newly constructed space with room for 260 children. The development will consist of five buildings, situated on an 11-acre, mostly flat parcel of land close to amenities, including a large park.
During a childcare visioning session, Elders suggested the ‘bear’s paw’ as the theme for the new facility, inspired by the nomadic traditions of the Indigenous nations in this region. The bear is a symbol of strength, the salmon represents endurance, and the eagle signifies home (nesting). The layout of the classrooms at Bears’ Paw will be designed to reflect the shape of a bear’s claws, serving as a constant reminder to be strong like their bear relatives.
Nazko Eagle’s Nest will serve as a home for learning the Dakelh language, culture, and survival skills. The facility will be designed in the image of the eagle, a symbol of the power of home in Nazko tradition. The building will support outdoor play, with classrooms surrounded by a lightly forested landscape, offering children the freedom to engage with nature.
The childcare facility will be accessed through a pole structure with a central hearth, inspired by traditional pit houses. In Nazko tradition, pit houses were used as family homes during cold weather and as spaces for sharing knowledge and food. The log-framed pit house at the Nazko child care facility will act as a space for learning about language and culture. Comfortable seating will surround a symbolic hearth, where Nazko Elders can share their wisdom and food with the children. From this central ‘pit house’, children will move to classrooms that open into natural play areas, enhanced by native trees. The outdoor spaces will help prepare the children for future involvement in activities central to Nazko culture, such as hunting, fishing, and harvesting plants for food and medicine.
Impact
The two new proposed childcare programs will support Indigenous culture and the learning of Carrier and/or Tsilhqot’in languages, helping to create a strong foundation for children, families, and communities to thrive.
Eagles’ Nest Child Care will offer programs that highlight the language and culture of Nazko First Nation. Children attending the facility will have the opportunity to learn Dakelh (Carrier) through programs led by knowledgeable community members and Elders.
Areas of Expertise
Social Policy & Planning
Feasibility & Business Cases
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