British Columbia is on track to meet its child care expansion targets, having already created over 25,000 new spaces toward a goal of 40,000 by 2028. However, most new spaces have been developed by for-profit operators, despite the $10-a-day program’s aim to prioritize public and non-profit delivery. While the province has made progress in reducing … Read more
Building a Childcare System that Works for Immigrant and Refugee Women—commonly referred to as Building a Childcare System—is a project funded by Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) Canada and implemented by Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS), grounded in a strong commitment to leadership development and advocacy. The project aims to empower migrant women to advance … Read more
Call for Board Members Over 50 years ago, a group of visionary and committed immigrant women identified a need for programs that would support the settlement of isolated immigrant women. Today, PIRS remains one of the few organizations across the Lower Mainland dedicated to addressing the unique needs and challenges of immigrant and refugee women … Read more
PIRS’ Childcare Leadership Group turns lived experience into action for a stronger, more equitable childcare system. Vancouver, BC – March 4, 2026 — As British Columbia continues implementing significant childcare reforms, families and educators navigate the system in different ways. For immigrant and refugee women in particular, barriers such as language gaps, unclear processes, limited … Read more
Vancouver, BC — January 21, 2026 — Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS) marked its 50th anniversary this week, celebrating five decades of supporting immigrant and refugee women and their children to build fulfilling lives in Canada. The milestone was recognized during PIRS’ Annual General Meeting, which brought together long-standing community members, founders, volunteers, partners, funders, … Read more
The Childcare Leadership Group (CLG), a community of practice of women from diverse backgrounds and regions across Metro Vancouver, interested in leading positive change in the childcare system and advancing gender equality, launched a pledge campaign Enough Talk—Time for Action on Child Care to call on all political candidates and elected officials in BC to commit to … Read more
On March 28, 2025, we celebrated the graduation ceremony of the eighth cohort of our Pathways to Childcare Careers program. The event recognized the hard work, dedication and achievements of the incredible women who completed 200 hours of English-language training tailored to the early learning and child care sector, 80 hours of paid work experience, … Read more
This year’s International Women’s Day, participants of PIRS’ Childcare Leadership Group gathered in Surrey, BC, to Accelerate Action for gender equality. The theme Accelerate Action emphasizes the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to urgently address the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres. We began the event … Read more
We are heartbroken by the tragic and unnecessary loss of Vanessa Rentería Valencia. A refugee from Colombia, Vanessa was just beginning to rebuild her life in Canada. Vanessa recently started attending outreach programs at PIRS and she was scheduled to start English classes at PIRS this week, eager to integrate and advance her future. Those … Read more