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.
Looking for Inclusive Child Care in Coquitlam?
Finding child care for a child with extra support needs in the Tri-Cities usually means a long list of calls, vague answers, and quiet no's. Here's our position, stated plainly: children who need extra support belong in the group, learning alongside everyone else, at their own pace, in a judgment-free room. Our manager is trained in ECE Special Needs, and our small multi-age setting is - honestly - a structural advantage most big centres can't offer.
Families come to us from across Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, often after striking out elsewhere. The first step is always the same: a real conversation about your child, not a form.
How Inclusion Actually Works Here
Trained leadership, not improvisation
Our manager holds ECE Special Needs training - formal education in supporting children with diverse developmental needs. That changes everything downstream: how goals are set, how the day is adapted, and how honestly we can tell you what we can and cannot support well.
The small group is the accommodation
Seven children, one consistent caregiver, a home environment. Less noise, fewer transitions, no room changes, no rotating staff to re-explain your child to. Many children who struggle in a forty-kid centre simply don't have those struggles here - the environment was the problem.
Individual goals inside the group
Your child isn't pulled aside into a separate track. We set individual goals - communication, regulation, motor skills, social steps - and work them through the normal day: circle time, play, outdoor time, meals. Progress is shared with you in plain language, continuously.
We work with your child's team
Speech therapists, occupational therapists, infant development consultants, and programs like BC's Supported Child Development - if your child has a team, we coordinate with it. Strategies from therapy sessions get practised here daily, which is where they actually stick.
Starting Right: Gradual Entry and Honest Fit
Every child here starts with gradual entry, and for children with extra needs we stretch it as long as it takes - short visits, building up, with you in the room at first if that helps. The goal is a child who walks in relaxed by week three, not a stressful rip-the-bandage first Monday.
And we'll be honest about fit, because pretending otherwise serves nobody. Some needs we support brilliantly in this setting; a few require resources a small home daycare doesn't have. One conversation - free, judgment-free, at your tour - and we'll tell you straight which one your child is, and where else to look if we're not it.
Nine things to look for in inclusive child care
From sixteen years of running a licensed daycare in Coquitlam - the things we tell parents on every tour.
- Ask about actual training. "We treat everyone the same" is not a qualification. Ask what specific training the staff hold - ECE Special Needs is a real credential you can verify.
- Prefer small groups over special programs. For many children, a calm seven-child group with one consistent adult beats a specialized room in a loud centre. The environment is the intervention.
- Ask how goals are set and shared. You want individual goals, worked through normal daily activities, with progress reported in plain words - not a binder of jargon twice a year.
- Check the therapy coordination. If your child sees an SLP or OT, ask whether the daycare will implement their strategies daily. The answer should be an unhesitating yes.
- Ask about Supported Child Development. BC's SCD program supports inclusion in regular child care settings. A provider familiar with it has done this before.
- Negotiate a longer gradual entry. Children with extra needs deserve a runway, not a deadline. A provider who resists slow starts is showing you their flexibility ceiling.
- Watch the language on your tour. Listen for how staff talk about children who struggle. Warmth and specifics: good. Sighing and labels: leave.
- Confirm subsidies still apply. CCFRI and the Affordable Child Care Benefit work exactly the same for a child with support needs. Cost should never be the reason to settle.
- Trust honesty over salesmanship. The right provider will tell you what they can't do. That honesty is the strongest predictor of how they'll communicate once your child is enrolled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is your staff trained for special needs care?
Our manager is trained in ECE Special Needs - formal credentials in supporting children with diverse developmental needs - and that training shapes how the whole program runs.
What kinds of needs can you support?
Honestly: it's case by case, and we'd rather have one real conversation about your child than publish a list. Many children with speech delays, regulation challenges, or developmental differences thrive in our small group. A few needs require resources we don't have - and we'll tell you that straight, with suggestions on where to look.
Will my child be separated from the other kids?
No. Inclusion here means your child is part of the group - same circle time, same outdoor play, same table - with individual goals worked inside that normal day.
Do you work with therapists and outside professionals?
Yes. SLPs, OTs, infant development consultants, Supported Child Development - if your child has a team, we coordinate with it and practise their strategies daily.
Does inclusive care cost extra?
Our fees are the same for every child, and CCFRI plus the Affordable Child Care Benefit apply normally. If your child is connected with Supported Child Development, additional support may be available through that program.
How does starting work for a child with extra needs?
Gradual entry, stretched as long as your child needs - short visits building to full days, with you welcome in the room early on. We plan the runway together before day one.
How will I know how my child is doing?
Plain-language updates at pickup every day, plus sit-down conversations whenever you want one. You'll never be guessing about progress or problems.
Is a small home daycare really better than a specialized program?
For many children, yes - less noise, fewer transitions, one consistent adult, and constant peer modelling. For some children, a specialized setting is right. The honest answer comes from one conversation about your child.
How do we start?
Call (604) 338-8020 and tell us about your child - the real version, not the polished one. Then come for a tour and let's see how the room feels.