The HPCA Board of Directors received a media request on June 5, 2026 regarding the "closure of a daycare" at our community hall. We suspect this was regarding the rental of our hall space by a for-profit before & after school care program, which provides child care for school-aged children, and is not classified as a daycare. A response was submitted to the media accordingly. That response from the HPCA Board of Directors is below:
“The Highland Park Community Association recognizes the important role that before and after school care plays in supporting children and families in our community. We value the energy that the program brings to the community centre and would like to see these services continue for the benefit of the community.
The arrangement with the private, for-profit, operator of NEXT Before & After School Care came to its natural conclusion at the end of March 2026. An extension was subsequently provided to bridge the remainder of the current school year through the end of June 2026.
With those arrangements now concluding, the Highland Park Community Association has recently begun exploring opportunities to establish a not-for-profit before and after school care model within the space. These discussions are in the early stages and are being led by a volunteer Board of Directors, which is made up of community members and parents.
At this time, no further decisions have been finalized. The Association looks forward to sharing additional information with the community as discussions progress and details are confirmed. Our goal is to support a sustainable model that continues to serve Highland Park families and the broader community.
Our hall also supports another program, the Highland Park Community Preschool, which is a community-based preschool operated internally by the Highland Park Community Association. This will continue to operate for the 2026-2027 school year, just as it does now.”
The update our Board provided in February 2026 regarding NEXT’s temporary use of our upper halls and the approved extension of the rental of our hall space to the end of the school year in 2026 can be found at this link: https://www.highlandparkcommunity.ca/update-re-next-kids-rental