School District 79 in partnership with Community Partners have been working on developing a new Children’s Play & Discovery Center for children aged 0-5 and their parents/caregivers. The Center will feature a number of interactive play areas where children will laugh, and learn through play. The interactive play areas include a Restaurant, Fire Station/Rescue Center, Office, Tugboat and Marina, Construction Site, Store, Coast Salish Village, Health Clinic, Fitness Center, Art Studio and a Tree-house.
It was the late Wendy Erickson’s dream to have a Children’s Center such as this available for the children in our community. She worked tirelessly on building literacy skills for young children in her role as District Community Early Literacy Coordinator for School District 79 (Cowichan Valley). Wendy’s long teaching career in the School District included teaching primary classes, special education, learning assistance and reading recovery at Crofton Elementary, Mt. Brenton Elementary and Koksilah Elementary schools. She was appointed to the District coordinator position in 2004 and, in addition to supporting early learning in primary classrooms, she initiated many new early learning initiatives such as Fun Family Literacy Nights in Duncan Mall, Ready Set Learn and the PALS (Parents as Literacy Partners) program in the schools.  Sheryl Koers, Assistant Superintendent commented, “Wendy was all about the kids and finding ways to support their learning in fun and meaningful ways. She had a huge impact on the school community and she made a difference for so many children. We are very pleased to be working towards making Wendy’s dream a reality.â€
It was Wendy who initiated the Children’s Center and it is in memory of and a legacy to Wendy that we proudly name the center ‘Wendy’s House’ in her honour. The expected opening date is June 2014.
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News Release – Naming of New Childrens Center