A Kelowna development centre for children that is slated to close for good after 57 years has sent a letter to B.C.’s premier inviting him to visit the facility.

A Kelowna-based child service provider has been granted three months of transitional funding by the provincial government, but closure remains inevitable. Starbright Children’s Development Centre announced Monday that it has received a contract extension that will move the organization’s closure date from March 31 to June 30.

Families who've used a Kelowna-based child service provider for years are concerned about transitioning to an entirely new system, after the provincial government recently announced a widespread change to its funding model for the delivery of child and youth services in the Central Okanagan.

Kelowna realtor Kara Rosart is one of countless residents who, over the years, has donated money towards the Starbright Children’s Development Centre. But with the facility being forced to close as the provincial government moves to a centralized system to deliver support services for children, donors like Rosart are wondering what will happen to all of those community-purchased items.

There's a big shake-up for kids with developmental needs in the Central Okanagan. For decades, Kelowna area parents with kids with developmental challenges have brought them to a place called Starbright. But the not-for-profit facility is set to close now that the province is moving to a new service delivery model.

It is a children's development centre that has been supported by the community in a big way for more than five decades. But with Starbright slated to close due to the province moving to a centralized system to deliver support services to children in the Central Okanagan, questions are being raised about all the donated money that has been poured into the facility and what will happen with all the equipment that was purchased by the public.

Families in Kelowna who'll be transitioning to a new service provider system for their children with complex developmental and support needs have nothing to worry about, according to the head of the agency running the new system.

When Amie Hough found out about Kelowna, B.C., becoming one of the four communities chosen for a pilot family connections centre, she said she was blindsided. “My first reaction was shock and surprise,” said the concerned mom of a teen with Down syndrome.

An Okanagan non-profit care provider that lost a recent bid for provincial funding says families of children with disabilities aren't being given a clear transition plan away from its services. The warning comes as the B.C. government reorganizes the delivery of its supports to families of children and youth with special needs, a change it says will give better access to care.

Klaudia Van EmA 12,000 square foot space at the Capri Centre Mall in Kelowna is being renovated to become one of four new family connection centres in B.C. The provincial government is changing the delivery of support services for children and has chosen four communities for its Family Connection Centre (FCC) pilots, including Kelowna.merik [Global News]

This inefficient and disorganized hub system pilot is going to cost the Okanagan one of its most utilized supports. Starbright, and all of the families that it serves, deserved better.

Daybreak South with Chris Walker [CBC]

It has been around for more than five decades supporting children with developmental needs. But the Starbright Children's Development Centre in Kelowna will soon be closing. The news is sending shock waves through the community of families who rely on the life-changing services it provides.