Originally published in the Bird’s Eye
This is our third article of the trilogy marking 40 years of the Quadra Children’s Centre (QCC). What follows is where it’s going, what it needs to get there — and what it has always had in abundance.
Forty years ago, a small group of women said yes to something hard because it needed doing and they loved their community. That hasn’t changed. The names have rotated. The work has evolved. But the Centre has been held, in every era, by warm, vibrant, deeply caring people — mostly women, many of them mothers themselves — who showed up because generations of children were counting on it. That thread of stewardship runs unbroken from 1985 to today.
It’s worth pausing on what forty years actually means. Thousands of small hands. Hundreds of families who had somewhere to turn. Generations of little ones who took their first steps into community life in the buildings QCC has called home. The care given in those rooms ripples outward in ways that are immeasurable.
In early 2026, QCC’s board and staff completed a new strategic plan — not just in-depth and structured, but one built from months of genuinely honest reflection. They asked hard questions: What is working? What isn’t? What does this community need from us in the next chapter? The answers shaped a 2026–2028 roadmap with goals that are specific, grounded, and ambitious.
At the centre of it: ensuring the Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) who do this work are paid fairly, supported well, and given real reasons to stay. The ECE sector has run on goodwill and low wages for too long — and retaining skilled, caring people on a rural island is not simple. Better wages, professional development, and pathways for growth aren’t perks. They’re the foundation. If working with children is something you’ve ever considered, ECE training in BC comes with substantial financial support — bursaries of up to $4,000–$5,000 per semester are available through the provincial ECE Education Support Fund. Details at ecebc.ca
The plan also looks at space — the buildings need long-term investment and the programs are ready to grow. It looks at leadership continuity, making sure the many, overlapping chains of care that hold this place together stay strong and connected. And it holds, at the centre of everything, the conviction that this Centre belongs to the whole community — not just the families who use it right now, but everyone who believes that how we treat children says something about who we are.
As covered last week, BC’s $10/day childcare commitment expires around 2028. Advocacy matters more than ever. If you want to add your voice, 10aday.ca has petitions and actions you can take today.
One of the vision concepts that emerged from this year’s strategic
planning process says it best: “a community where children grow strong roots, wide branches, and kind hearts — and carry those values forward for generations.” That kind of intention is a beautiful thing to witness.
Big news: the Raise the Roof Fundraiser just hit its $10,000 matching goal!! Which means Java Roofing has generously matched every dollar donated so far, doubling the community’s contribution. That’s something to celebrate. The fundraiser is still open, because the roof itself is a much larger project. Every donation continues to go toward keeping these buildings standing for the next few generations. Give at quadrachildrenscentre.com. Tax receipts available.
The Centre is also looking for board members — and this is your chance to be part of the next generation of stewardship. You don’t need a particular resume, just some time and genuine care for what QCC is building.
Island Cookery III is a delicious way to support the Centre. It’s 256 pages of locally inspired recipes and Quadra stories, likely made by some the very people reading this article. Go buy one and see how many autographs you can get from our local chefs. Send copies to friends afar then make the same dish together online. Available across Quadra, online at islandcookery.com, and shipped anywhere in Canada.
This Centre and this community have always been a kelp forest kind of eco-system — each one making the other possible, the whole system stronger for it. That’s not just nostalgia. It’s a pattern, forty years long, that keeps proving itself true. The women holding this place right now are doing what women at QCC have always done: carrying something precious forward, carefully, with both hands.
This three-part series was produced as part of a paid community storytelling package created for the Quadra Children’s Centre. All interviews, research, writing, and editing were conducted independently by the Bird’s Eye.
Researching and writing this series has been such a joy and honour. Thank you to the Quadra Children’s Centre for trusting me with their story — and to everyone who took the time to chat with me and share what they know and love about this place. If your organization has a story for the community, reach out to me at [email protected] A community storytelling package might be exactly what you’re looking for!