If you've been searching "daycare near me" in Coquitlam and wondering who you can actually trust, here's what you need to know about us. Love Kids has been serving families in Coquitlam and the Tri-Cities area for over 16 years. We're fully licensed, fully ECE-certified, and genuinely care about every child who walks through our door.
This isn't a drop-off spot where kids watch TV until you show up. Your child will have a real day here. They'll know their caregiver by name. They'll have a routine that feels familiar and safe. And you'll have the peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly where your child is and what they're doing.
We accept children from 3 months old through preschool age. So whether you have a baby, a toddler, or a preschooler getting ready for kindergarten, we have a spot for them at our daycare serving Coquitlam and Coquitlam.
Need Part-Time Child Care in Coquitlam?
Not every Coquitlam family needs five days of care. Parents working part-time or shift schedules, families with a grandparent covering two days, parents easing back from leave, kids who just need more social time before kindergarten - part-time daycare exists for all of it. The catch: many centres treat part-time spots as an afterthought. We build them into the group deliberately.
We're a licensed home daycare in northeast Coquitlam, an easy commute from Burquitlam and the Port Coquitlam border, open 7:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday to Friday.
Shift-working families deserve a specific mention, because the Tri-Cities run on them: nurses at Eagle Ridge and Royal Columbian, trades on rotating sites, retail and restaurant staff with mid-week days off. A fixed two- or three-day schedule built around your roster often beats paying for five days you only use three of. Bring your actual work pattern to the tour and we will map the schedule against the days we have open, honestly, before any paperwork appears.
How Part-Time Works in a Small Group
Set weekdays, not floating days
Part-time here means the same days every week - say Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Set days keep the group consistent for every child in it, and consistency is precisely what makes part-time care work for young children instead of confusing them.
The same caregiver, every visit
Whether your child comes twice a week or five times, it's the same ECE-certified caregiver, the same room, the same rhythm. A part-time child here is a full member of the group, not a visitor.
Full days, full program
A part-time day is a complete day: morning learning, outdoor play, lunch, nap, afternoon activities. Your child gets the whole program on their days - circle time and crafts don't get rationed by schedule type.
Subsidies apply, prorated
The CCFRI fee reduction and the Affordable Child Care Benefit both work on part-time schedules. Don't let the sticker math scare you before the subsidy math is done.
Making Part-Time Work for Your Child
The honest trade-off with part-time care: settling in takes a little longer. A child who comes five days adapts in about two weeks; a two-day child might need four or five to fully relax into the rhythm. We manage that with consistent days, a steady drop-off ritual, and patience - and we'll tell you honestly how your child is tracking.
Part-time also makes a great on-ramp. Plenty of our families start at two or three days and grow into full-time care as work ramps up, or use part-time as the bridge into our preschool program year. When you're ready to add days, you're first in line for them.
One more honest note on cost: part-time is not always exactly proportional - some fixed costs of a licensed spot exist whether a child attends two days or five. We will show you the real part-time fee, the CCFRI reduction on it, and where the Affordable Child Care Benefit lands, all in writing, so the comparison against full-time is made with numbers instead of guesses.
Nine tips for making part-time daycare work
From sixteen years of running a licensed daycare in Coquitlam - the things we tell parents on every tour.
- Pick the same weekdays and protect them. Consistency is the whole game for part-time kids. Tuesday-Thursday every week beats a rotating schedule by a mile.
- Consider midweek days. Tuesday to Thursday tends to give the steadiest group rhythm and the most program content - Mondays and Fridays carry the most holiday closures.
- Keep the home routine aligned on off days. Roughly matching nap and meal times at home on non-daycare days makes the daycare days dramatically smoother.
- Expect a longer settling-in window. Two-day kids take four or five weeks to fully settle where five-day kids take two. Normal, not a red flag.
- Use the same drop-off ritual every time. Same words, same hug, same goodbye. For part-time kids especially, the ritual is the anchor.
- Run the subsidy math on part-time numbers. CCFRI and ACCB both prorate. The net cost of three days is often far less than parents assume.
- Communicate schedule changes early. Small groups plan around every child. The more notice you give on changes, the more flexibility you'll get back.
- Ask about priority for added days. Enrolled part-time families should get first call on opening days. Confirm that's the policy - it is here.
- Plan the full-time transition ahead. If work is ramping up in September, tell us in June. We'll stage the added days so the change feels small to your child.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer part-time daycare spots?
Yes - set weekdays, typically two or three days per week, depending on the current group mix. Call and we'll tell you honestly which days are open right now.
Is there a minimum number of days?
Generally two set days per week. Below that, children spend every visit re-adjusting, which isn't fair to them - consistency is the point.
Can I choose which days?
You pick from the days currently open, and they become your fixed days. Set days keep the group stable for every family in it.
Can I switch my days later?
When openings allow, yes - with notice. Enrolled families get first priority on any day that opens up.
Do subsidies work for part-time care?
Yes. The CCFRI reduction applies to part-time fees, and the Affordable Child Care Benefit covers part-time schedules on a prorated basis.
Will my child have the same caregiver as full-time kids?
Exactly the same - one ECE-certified caregiver runs the whole group, every day. Part-time children are full members here, not drop-ins.
Does my child get the full program on part-time days?
Yes - a part-time day is a complete day: morning learning, outdoor play, lunch, nap, and afternoon activities. Nothing is rationed.
Will part-time be harder on my child than full-time?
Settling in takes a bit longer - weeks four to five instead of two - and consistent days plus a steady drop-off ritual close most of that gap. We'll tell you honestly how it's going.
Can we move from part-time to full-time later?
Yes, and enrolled families are first in line when days open. Tell us your timeline early and we'll stage the transition gently.