Vancouver coworking space created for parents who can’t get child care

Article content

Quietly tucked away on one of the back pages of a graphic novel called PAWS: Priya Puts Herself First, is a thank you to OneSpace, an East Vancouver coworking venue that lets parents and children spend time together, but stay far enough apart that the work actually gets done.

“Without a space like this I wouldn’t have my agency and identity as an artist,” said series co-creator, comic-book artist Michele Assarasakorn, who is a mother to three-year-old Kiki. When Assarasakorn has a project on the go, she books a desk, while her daughter Kiki is cared for in a dedicated child-minding space upstairs.

Article content

Article content

She and her partner were crammed into a one-bedroom apartment, both working from home, stuck on daycare waiting lists, and struggling to balance it all when she saw flyers for OneSpace.

OneSpace, a 4,000 square foot coworking space with childminding located at 1187 Odlum Dr., was cofounded by Elizabeth Fisher, along with Victoria Koby and several female friends to solve a need they all shared.

“We saw such a huge need during COVID. Daycares were shut down, and we saw mothers taking on a huge domestic burden along with their work burden,” said Fisher, who has an eight-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter.

She noticed mothers were struggling with mental health trying to manage it all — something she felt strongly motivated to address.

“I had just launched my first non-profit when I had my son, I was living in a basement suite, working in a closet under the stairs. It felt lonely,” said Fisher.

After her daughter was born, she began to envision a space that could meet the needs of working moms (yes, dads are allowed too), one that offered enough privacy to work, and enough openness for community as well as proximity to their children.

Article content

Article content

OneSpace is a bright, open space with a loft feel, and a calm, quiet ambience that features a mix of hot desks, private meeting rooms, micro-offices, and child-minding for kids from eight months to age five.

Kids are cared for by ECE-trained educators in a bright space dubbed “the children’s atelier.”

OneSpace was built by the women themselves, with Fisher — a social entrepreneur who also happens to be handy with power tools — doing on-the-spot training in everything from wood-framing, to mudding and sanding.

“It was empowering,” said Fisher.

Success has come through community, word of mouth, parent to parent. While Fisher doesn’t rule out the possibility of using the model to launch other community-based coworking spaces that cater to parents, she’s keeping the focus close to home for now.

Walking, biking, and working in the neighbourhood where the space is located is a key part of the concept that makes it so valuable, and accessible, to families that use it.

“Moms frequently come and tell me the space is life changing. So many people can’t find child care, they are on wait lists for three years. Women are able to grow their businesses here. They come here and can do eight hours of work in two hours,” said Fisher.

Article content

The best part?

“I have no guilt,” said Assarasakorn. “My daughter is upstairs while I’m working. I can hear her laughing all the time.”

dryan@postmedia.com

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.

Article content