Petition to Save Langley Forest School and Restore 32 Childcare Spaces

We, the undersigned parents, families, educators, community members, and supporters, respectfully call on the Government of British Columbia, Fraser Health, and the Ministry of Education and Child Care to urgently work with Langley Forest School (LFS) to find a lawful pathway for the school to reopen.

On August 25, 2026, families were informed that Langley Forest School had closed—just two weeks before children were scheduled to return on September 8.

Importantly, this closure was not the result of a health or safety incident or concerns about the quality of care provided to children. LFS's licence expired after Fraser Health determined that the school did not have full access to its licensed indoor space while operating and had not used that space for a period of more than 12 months. This occurred despite LFS having operated under its licensing arrangement for approximately nine years without these circumstances previously preventing the continuation of its licence.

The result is the loss of 32 licensed childcare spaces, disruption for approximately 80 families, and the loss of 10 jobs, including those of nine qualified Early Childhood Educators. Families who made employment, childcare, preschool, and early-learning arrangements months in advance have been left with virtually no time to find suitable alternatives.

For many families, LFS is far more than a childcare provider. For 11 years, it has been a valued part of the community, providing children with a unique outdoor, play-based learning environment that fosters physical activity, confidence, independence, emotional well-being, and a meaningful connection to nature.

For our family, LFS has been a pillar of our lives. Our son Gabriel has attended for the past four years, and our younger son, Taliesin, was set to begin this September. LFS has become a community and an extension of our family—a place where our children have built friendships, developed trusted relationships with educators, and been given the opportunity to truly thrive and flourish.

This sudden closure has taken away more than childcare spaces. It has disrupted children's relationships, routines, friendships, education, and sense of community.

We recognize and support the need for licensing requirements that protect children and ensure high-quality care. At the same time, the circumstances surrounding LFS raise an important question: How should existing childcare regulations apply to programs intentionally designed around outdoor education rather than regular use of a traditional indoor childcare space?

A program should not have to become something fundamentally different from what it was created to be simply to fit a regulatory model designed primarily around indoor childcare. We believe there must be a practical and lawful pathway that maintains rigorous standards for children's health and safety while recognizing the unique operating model of established outdoor childcare programs such as LFS.

We are asking the Province and relevant authorities to:

• Urgently work with Langley Forest School to identify a lawful pathway for reopening. Restore the 32 licensed childcare spaces that have been lost as a result of the closure.
• Support the approximately 80 affected families who were given only two weeks before the scheduled start of the school year to make alternative arrangements.
• Support the 10 employees who have lost their employment, including nine qualified Early Childhood Educators.Establish a clear, practical licensing framework for high-quality outdoor childcare programs that reflects the unique nature and benefits of outdoor, play-based education while maintaining appropriate health and safety standards.
• Bring together Langley Forest School, Fraser Health, the Ministry of Education and Child Care, and affected families for an urgent meeting to identify a solution. Examine whether existing regulations adequately accommodate established outdoor childcare programs and, where appropriate, create a pathway that allows these programs to operate lawfully without requiring regular use of indoor facilities that are inconsistent with their educational model.

We are not asking for health or safety standards to be lowered. We are asking for regulators and government to work together to find a solution that allows a proven, valued, and deeply needed outdoor childcare program to continue operating safely and lawfully.

For 11 years, Langley Forest School has served children and families in this community. The loss of 32 childcare spaces at a time when families already struggle to find appropriate care should not be accepted without every reasonable avenue for a solution being explored.

Our children deserve continuity. Our families deserve access to childcare. Our educators deserve the opportunity to continue the work they have dedicated themselves to. And our community deserves the opportunity to retain a program that has supported local children and families for more than a decade.

We respectfully urge the Province, Fraser Health, and the Ministry of Education and Child Care to act urgently, meet with Langley Forest School and affected families, and work collaboratively toward a lawful pathway to reopen.

Save Langley Forest School. Protect our childcare spaces. Support our families and educators.