Changes in care
It is common and anticipated that your family’s child care needs will change over time—for example, as your children grow older or as you welcome new children to your family.
As your child grows older
At UBC Child Care, we offer a continuum of care from birth to school age to help ensure that UBC families can access ongoing care, once their children are enrolled.
Priority admission—internal transfers
Accordingly, children who are aging out of one age group and graduating to the next are highest on our priority admissions order.
This priority means that children who are currently enrolled with us and whose families continue to meet eligibility requirements are our priority for any available spaces in the next age group.
Availability
Please note, however, that we must also follow provincial regulations regarding maximum group size, capacity, and the ages of children enrolled. Depending on how many children are graduating out of and into the next age group, enough spaces for all internal children are not always available.
Rest assured, we will do what we can to ensure continuous care, and we will inform families in advance if there is any uncertainty about availability.
If your eligibility changes
If you anticipate that you will no longer meet the eligibility requirements associated with your priority admissions group, you may no longer be eligible for care with UBC Child Care.
Please review the information below about requesting a leave of absence or a withdrawal, and be sure to contact us in advance of your eligibility changing to discuss your options and any next steps.
Taking a leave of absence
If you would like to temporarily withdraw your child from UBC Child Care—for example, for a sabbatical or maternity/parental leave—and have them return to care in the future, you can apply for a leave of absence.
Once approved, your child will be placed back on our waitlist. We will use the date we received your completed Leave of Absence request form as the application date.
Eligible length
To be eligible, a leave of absence must be for 12 months or longer. Due to the length of our waitlists, children on leave would not be able to return to care after less than 12 months.
Request a leave of absence
To request a leave of absence, please complete a Leave of Absence request form and submit the completed form to the Child Care Administration Hub.
Key information
Please note that primary parents, guardians or caregiving family members do not need to retain their eligibility for child care or priority admission status while their child is on leave. However, upon return to care, we will re-authenticate your eligibility and priority admission status.
Medical leave of absence
If a child is experiencing an extenuating health condition that significantly impacts their ability to safely attend child care, you can apply for a temporary medical leave of absence for a period of two to 12 months. Supporting documentation from the physician treating the child will be required.
Please download the Medical Leave of Absence request form to learn more and submit your request.
Withdrawing your child
To withdraw your child, please complete a Withdrawal Notice form and submit the completed form to the Child Care Administration Hub. All families leaving UBC Child Care must complete this form.
Key information
Please note that if you are withdrawing your child from pre-school age care, but would like to apply for school age (before-and-after-school) care or school age summer care, you may do so on the withdrawal form.
FAQs
Can I transfer my child to a different setting?
While we understand that a family may want to transfer their child to a different setting with the same age group during their time in our care, we are unfortunately not able to accommodate lateral transfers.
If I withdraw my child, but later I want to re-enroll them, what should I do?
If you withdraw your child but later on, your circumstances change, and you would like to re-enroll your child in care with us, you will need to start a new application.
How do I apply for public elementary school?
Visit your school district’s website to learn about the registration process (i.e., Vancouver School Board, Richmond School District, Burnaby School District, etc.). Kindergarten registration typically opens in November for the following school year.