Kids & Company Q&A

The Edmonton Arena District (EAD) announced Monday that Kids & Company will be one of the major tenants in the district, specifically in the Edmonton Tower. We spoke with Victoria Sopik from Kids and Company and Glen Scott from the Katz Group on the importance of child care in the EAD.

Victoria Sopik – CEO,  Kids and Company

What drew you to the Edmonton Arena District?
It seems like it’s the most exciting place in Edmonton; there’s so much going on, we’re very excited about the opportunity because it’s obviously going to be a central hub for the entertainment and urban lifestyle. We know there will be lots of parents who need childcare there.

What are the benefits you’ve seen from having child care available in urban centres?
Many young professionals are choosing to live in an urban environment for all the reasons you can imagine, lots of fun and exciting opportunities in terms of night time and social activities, and more importantly, less of a commute to work. They’re happy to live in a condo so they don’t have to spend hours travelling with their child. We opened the first urban child care centre in 2003 in downtown Toronto and since then, we’re seeing that parents love the opportunity to have that live, work and play balance all in one location.

How can people register?
They can head to KidsandCompany.com! We have a special going on for new families where they will receive free registration and will have a guaranteed spot. We’ve certainly had lots of parents interested but we have lots of space available.

Glen Scott – Senior Vice President Real Estate, Katz Group

What are the benefits of child care for those living and working in the district?
I think it’s a great win for both parties and it’s going to be another great enhancement for the Edmonton Arena District. It just takes one of the big burdens out of the hands of parents. They’ll have access to high-quality child care basically onsite so it’s a home run. It’s easy to get to work and have their kids looked after in a very professional manner. They can pick them up at the end of the day and go home.

Can you speak to the district’s vision of a place to work, live and play?
Ideally we want to have the whole district integrated so that it covers all the lifestyle needs of people in the district, from working in the district to being able to live in the district to be able to go out at night and play in the district. Looking after all the daily needs of a family is very important to us and this a great step in the right direction.