3 to 5 Years Old Group Daycare in Coquitlam, at Love Kids, is the year before kindergarten done right. Small licensed group, ECE-certified lead, and pre-academic skills that line up with what SD43 teachers expect in September. Call (604) 338-8020 to book a tour or ask about the September intake.
We run our 3 to 5 room out of a licensed home daycare on Pasture Cir in River Springs, minutes from Coquitlam Centre and the Lougheed corridor. Families from Eagle Ridge, Oxford Heights, and Chineside drop off on their way to work every morning. The room caps at 8 kids by BC licensing rule, and we usually run it at 7. One caregiver, same face every day, all the way to kindergarten.
We've been open 16 years. Under-3 spots are full right now and on a waitlist. The 3 to 5 group is actively enrolling for the September intake, so if your child is turning 3 this year, this is the page you want.
What a Day in the 3 to 5 Group Looks Like
Kids this age do best with a predictable rhythm. They can handle longer learning blocks than a toddler, sit through a real circle time, and follow multi-step routines. Here's how a typical day runs in the 3 to 5 room at our daycare in Coquitlam.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:30 am to 8:30 am | Arrival, hang up coats, put lunch in cubby, quiet free play at learning stations |
| 8:30 am to 9:00 am | Morning snack, group table, sharing what happened last night at home |
| 9:00 am to 10:00 am | Circle time and pre-academic block, calendar, weather, letter of the day, counting, name printing |
| 10:00 am to 11:30 am | Outdoor play, backyard, tricycles, gross motor games, seasonal nature activity |
| 11:30 am to 12:15 pm | Lunch, kids unpack their own lunchbox, pour their own water, wipe their own spot |
| 12:15 pm to 2:30 pm | Rest and quiet time, cots down, dim lights, quiet book choices for kids who no longer nap |
| 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm | Afternoon learning stations, art, dramatic play corner, building, more outdoor if the weather is dry |
| 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm | Afternoon snack, tidy up, ready-for-pickup routine, parent handoff with a real update |
The rhythm holds every day. The content on top of it, the letters, the theme, the art project, the story, changes weekly so the group stays curious. Consistent structure is what turns a 3-year-old into a kindergarten-ready 5-year-old. The content is what keeps them wanting to come back tomorrow.
Pre-Academic Skills We Build in the 3 to 5 Group
The BC Early Learning Framework, which is the document every licensed daycare in Coquitlam plans against, groups pre-academic work into a few areas. Here's how we hit each one in the 3 to 5 room.
Letters, sounds, and early literacy
Kids leave our program knowing the letters of their own name, most of the alphabet by sight, and the sound each letter makes. We do this through daily letter-of-the-day work, name tracing at the sign-in table, and story time twice a day. By age 5, most kids in the group can spot their name in a lineup of names on the wall and printing it on a page in shaky but real letters. That is exactly what an SD43 kindergarten teacher wants to see on day one.
Counting, sorting, and early math
We count everything. Kids at snack. Puzzle pieces. Steps up the front stairs. Blocks in a tower. By the time a child ages up to kindergarten, they can count to 20, one-to-one match objects to a number, and sort by colour, size, and shape. Small stuff, but it's the foundation SD43 builds addition and subtraction on.
Scissors, pencils, and fine motor
The hardest part of kindergarten for a lot of kids is the physical writing. If pencil grip and scissor grip aren't there, everything slows down. We start scissors at 3 with safety scissors and thick paper, and by 5 kids can cut on a curved line. Pencil work starts with fat crayons, moves to regular pencils, and finishes with them printing their own first and last name. Coquitlam kindergarten teachers regularly tell us they can spot a Love Kids graduate by how the scissors sit in the hand.
Social readiness and following instructions
Academics matter, but the piece that trips kids up more often is the social side. Lining up. Raising a hand. Waiting your turn. Following a two-step instruction. Cleaning up your own mess. We rehearse all of it, every single day. So on day one of kindergarten, the classroom routine already feels familiar, and your child spends their energy on new learning instead of figuring out the rules.
Why Coquitlam Parents Choose Our 3 to 5 Group
ECE-certified, every caregiver
ECE means Early Childhood Education, a full post-secondary credential in BC. Weekend courses don't cut it. The ECE holder has studied how kids ages 0 to 5 develop, passed a criminal background check, and holds their license with the ECE Registry. Every caregiver in the 3 to 5 room is ECE certified, no exceptions. Several also carry the Infant Toddler specialization from when they worked with our younger groups.
16 years of Coquitlam families
We opened in 2010. Our first graduates are in high school now. Families who came in with a first child are on their second or third. Our staff have been here for years, so your 3 year old builds a real 24-month relationship with a caregiver who genuinely knows them by kindergarten. Continuity matters more than any single fancy program.
Max 7 to 8 kids in the group
BC licensing caps preschool age groups at 8 per ECE. We stay at or below that cap. In a group of 7, every kid gets real face time every day. No one hides at the back. No one is a stranger to the caregiver. That's the single biggest difference between a small home-based licensed daycare like ours and a 30-kid center.
One caregiver, all the way to kindergarten
At bigger centers, kids often move rooms twice or three times before kindergarten, and each move is a new caregiver, new group, new routine. In our 3 to 5 room, your child has the same lead caregiver the whole time they're with us. No re-adjusting. No new tears at drop-off six months in.
Fees, Subsidies, and What's Included
We charge a flat monthly fee. Not per hour, not per day. One number, predictable, easy to budget.
The published monthly fee comes down for almost every family through two provincial reductions.
- CCFRI (Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative). We're a participating provider, so the CCFRI reduction is applied automatically to your monthly invoice. You don't apply. You just get it.
- ACCB (Affordable Child Care Benefit). Income tested. If your family qualifies, this comes off on top of the CCFRI reduction. Some Coquitlam families end up paying very little out of pocket once both are applied.
Included in the monthly fee: ECE staffing, all program materials, daily morning and afternoon snacks, art and craft supplies, outdoor play equipment, a licensed BC space, and the yearly BC Early Learning Framework planning. Families pack their own lunch. There are no per-hour add-ons and no surprise sign-up fees on the invoice.
On enrollment we walk you through the whole subsidy application so nothing is left on the table. If you're already registered with the Province, we can pull the CCFRI numbers on your first call.
Nine things Coquitlam parents should know about a 3 to 5 group daycare
These come from 16 years of running the 3 to 5 room and watching kids move up into SD43 kindergarten. The things we find ourselves saying on every tour.
- Ask which SD43 elementary the kids feed into. Most 3 to 5 group daycares in Coquitlam send kids to a specific cluster of schools. The first day of kindergarten is easier when your child recognizes two or three faces from daycare on day one at your catchment school.
- Look for a written pre-academic plan, not vibes. A real 3 to 5 program has a documented weekly plan, a letter of the day, a math activity, a fine motor activity. Ask to see it. If the provider can't produce one, they're not really doing kindergarten prep.
- Tour at 4:30 pm. Between 4:30 and 5:30 pm you see tired kids and real staff patience. If pickup hour looks calm and organized, the whole day is calm and organized.
- Read the last two Fraser Health inspection reports. Every licensed daycare in Coquitlam is inspected. Reports are public. Look up the facility and read the last two. Ask about anything flagged. Nothing to hide, no problem.
- Check that the caregiver is ECE certified, not just ECE assistant. Ask to see the ECE license. In the 3 to 5 room, the lead needs the full ECE. An assistant certificate is a smaller credential and shouldn't be running the group solo.
- Ask about kindergarten readiness specifically. A good 3 to 5 program builds up printing name, sitting through a 15-minute lesson, and following two-step instructions in the final six months. If the provider hasn't thought about it, kindergarten will be a shock.
- Watch scissor use. Kindergarten teachers can tell within a week which kids used scissors regularly. Ask what age scissors are introduced and how often the kids use them.
- Ask about screen time. A 3 to 5 group with a lot of screen time is skipping the pre-academic work. We're a screen-free program. Ask what your candidate program does.
- Confirm CCFRI participation before you enroll. Not every licensed provider is signed up for CCFRI. Ours is. If yours isn't, you pay full sticker. Ask up front.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ages does the 3 to 5 group daycare cover?
Kids from age 3 up to kindergarten entry. Once your child is potty trained and turning 3, they're the right fit. We stay with them through the year they age into kindergarten at their SD43 catchment school, so the group they know now is the group they finish with.
How is 3 to 5 group daycare different from your infant or toddler program?
The 3 to 5 room runs on longer learning blocks, more pre-academic work like letters and counting, and school readiness routines like lining up, following two step instructions, and cleaning up their own spot. Toddler care and infant care focus on sensory play and language building. The 3 to 5 group is the last stop before kindergarten and the day is built around that.
Does the program prep kids for SD43 kindergarten specifically?
Yes. We follow the BC Early Learning Framework, which is the same document SD43 kindergarten teachers plan from. Our 3 to 5 room covers the same skill areas Coquitlam kindergarten teachers ask families to work on: name recognition, letter sounds, counting to 20, scissor grip, printing their name, and sitting through a short group lesson. Kids who move up from us walk into their SD43 kindergarten already knowing what circle time is.
What is the group size?
Small. BC licensing caps preschool age groups at 8 children per ECE. We stay at or below that cap on purpose. A cap of 7 to 8 kids with one caregiver they see every day is the whole point of the program. Kids get real attention, and the caregiver actually knows how each child learns.
Are you accepting new 3 to 5 enrollments right now?
Yes, we're currently enrolling ages 3 and up for the September intake. Under-3 spots are full and on a waitlist. If your child is turning 3 soon, call (604) 338-8020 to book a tour. We'll walk you through availability, the September start, and how a typical day runs.
Do you accept CCFRI and the Affordable Child Care Benefit?
Yes to both. We're a CCFRI participating provider, so the provincial reduction comes off your monthly fee automatically. If you also qualify for the Affordable Child Care Benefit (ACCB), that's applied on top. Between the two, most Coquitlam families in the 3 to 5 group pay a lot less than the sticker price. See our subsidized child care page for more.
What are the hours?
Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. That covers a typical Coquitlam commute to Vancouver, Burnaby, or the Port Coquitlam industrial areas. We close on BC statutory holidays. The full year calendar comes with your enrollment package.
What does a monthly fee include?
The monthly fee covers the program itself: ECE staffing, planning, all materials, daily snacks, outdoor time, and a licensed BC space. Families pack lunches. There are no per-hour or per-day surprise charges. The fee is monthly and predictable so you can budget it. We break down the CCFRI reduction and the ACCB reduction on the invoice so you can see exactly what the Province is covering and what you owe.
How do I book a tour?
Call (604) 338-8020 or email lovekidsdaycare@outlook.com. Tell us your child's age and when you need care to start, and we'll book you in. Tours run about 30 minutes. You'll meet the ECE who will be with your child, see the 3 to 5 room, and get answers on fees, subsidy, and start date.
Ready to Book a Free Tour?
Come see the 3 to 5 room in person. We'll walk you through the pre-academic plan, the daily schedule, subsidy paperwork, and September availability. Tours take about 30 minutes.
Love Kids Daycare Coquitlam
3007 Pasture Cir, Coquitlam, BC V3C 2C3
Phone: (604) 338-8020
Email: lovekidsdaycare@outlook.com
Hours: Mon-Fri, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm