A joyful woman kneels on the grass, hugging a young boy, both smiling. They are outdoors on a sunny day, with a stroller nearby and a backpack on the ground. The woman has long dark hair and is wearing a white jacket, while the boy wears a bright blue t-shirt with cartoon and game characters on his shorts.

TinyRivers is a part of Bissell Centre, which has been serving the downtown Edmonton community since 1910. We offer both respite care and full-time child care services for families of all backgrounds.  

Our current TinyRivers location opened in 2020, accommodating up to 66 children sorted by age group overseen by certified child care professionals. Children enrolled with the full-time Early Childhood Development Program also receive snacks, meals, and field trips at no additional cost to families. 

In addition, our educators have access to specialists such as occupational therapists and speech pathologists, helping to cater to individual children’s needs. This helps to ensure a welcoming and uplifting environment for every child in our care.  

A group of diverse Early Childhood Educators smiling and posing together indoors, wearing matching blue T-shirts with the word 'Bissell Staff' written on them, all wearing blue lanyards with badges.
A pattern of stylized frog footprints with pink and green colors arranged diagonally across a white background.

  • “Thank you to the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation for providing funding to purchase nutritious food for the children in our care, which will contribute to their overall health and well-being”

We are accepting applications for children aged six-months to six years old for daytime child care. 

Enroll Today

FAQs

If you have any further questions about the Bissell Child Care Centre or the Early Childhood Development program, please reach out to us at 780-429-4126. 

  • For full-time, the portion of our monthly fees that families pay is $220 for all age groups.  
    For our part-time and drop-in programs, families pay $10 for each day of care. 
    One day per week of free respite care is also available by appointment only.

  • You do not need to apply for this grant. The childcare program will register your child on your behalf to receive this funding.

  • Children in our care receive a morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack each day. 

  • All educators with TinyRivers have at minimum a Level 1 Early Childhood Educator certification through the Alberta Childcare Certification Board.  

    In addition, all educators are required to have a clear criminal record check and a valid First Aid and CPR certificate that’s renewed every three years. 

  • Our childcare program operates from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for full-time and part-time children and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for drop-in/respite children. 

  • We care for children from six months old to six years old (or until they start kindergarten). 

  • Unfortunately, we’re only able to care for children in their early years before they begin going to school.  

  • We have partnerships with Community Options and the Inclusive Child Care Program (formerly the GRIT Program). These support our educators and families, ensuring each child in our program has access to the resources needed for their child to meet their basic developmental skills.  We have partnerships with Community Options and the Inclusive Child Care Program (formerly the GRIT Program). These support our educators and families, ensuring each child in our program has access to the resources needed for their child to meet their basic developmental skills.  

  • Our program follows Emergent Curriculum and utilizes the FLIGHT Framework. This means we plan our activities based on the children’s interests, focusing on harnessing each child’s likes and growing their skills.