Local families, staff will benefit from new child care centre at Kelowna airport

KF Aerospace employees with young children will now have more options with the opening of the Kelowna Airport YMCA Child Care centre, officially opened this month. KF has collaborated with the BC Government, the Kelowna International Airport (YLW) and the YMCA of Southern Interior BC on the funding, development and ongoing operations of the new standalone child care centre located at the Kelowna International Airport.

The centre can accommodate 86 five-year-old and younger children. The City of Kelowna received approximately $3.8 million in ChildCareBC New Spaces funding to build the facility operated by YMCA of Southern Interior.

“KF was thrilled to collaborate with the YMCA and Kelowna Airport to establish this new and urgently needed child care centre,” said Grant Stevens, Chief Corporate Services Officer at KF Aerospace. “Not only will this centre enable us to support our employees with young families by providing quality, on-site daycare options, but we’re proud to continue investing in the local community in Kelowna.”

KF Aerospace originally came up with the idea to add a child care option for Kelowna employees around five years ago following a town hall session in which employees identified affordable, quality child care as a major pain point to working and thriving in the region. Recognizing this was likely to be an ongoing issue – and aligning it with a goal to empower more women in their workforce – the company took action and invested over $500,000 in capital and their expertise to collaborate with community partners to see the project through.

The City of Kelowna received approximately $3.8 million in ChildCareBC New Spaces funding to build the facility operated by YMCA of Southern Interior.

“Kelowna children, their families and the growing local economy are benefiting from this new child care centre built with ChildCareBC New Spaces funding,” said Grace Lore, Minister of State for Child Care. “We’ve partnered with the City of Kelowna on their innovative plan to co-locate child care at the expanding Kelowna International Airport where hundreds of people work each day.”

“I want to thank all the partners who came together to make it possible to provide a child care facility at the Kelowna airport, supporting our employees and surrounding community” said Sam Samaddar, CEO, Kelowna International Airport.” This is an important step to retain and grow a diverse aviation workforce in the Okanagan.”

About KF Aerospace

We’re all about THE CRAFT.

For 53 years, KF Aerospace has delivered innovative aircraft solutions for corporate, commercial and military customers worldwide—including OEMs such as Boeing; major airlines such as WestJet, Sunwing, Air Canada, Lynden Air Cargo and Icelandair; and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). From humble roots in the Okanagan Valley, KF has grown to specialize in aircraft maintenance and modifications, military aircrew training, passenger and cargo flight operations, and leasing—with the same commitment to quality and service established by its founder in 1970. In 2023, KF was named the preferred bidder for the RCAF’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) Program in its partnership with CAE called SkyAlyne.

For more information, please contact:

Matt Stone
Engagement, Communication and Marketing Lead
E media@kfaero.ca
P (250) 491.5500