Young Families with children in the BVI

Stephen Leslie France replied 11 years ago

Hi Adam,

There are two guys on our team that will be on to answer your question shortly as they are both family guys.

I hope they can help.

Dawn Taylor replied 11 years ago

Good Morning,

We have been on island for over 5 years now and we have 1 toddler who is 2 and another on the way in Oct.

So, to answer your question, yes – there are alot of young families on the island. The primary meeting group is Playgroup. Playgroup is held in a large air conditioned function hall near Road Town on Tuesday and Friday mornings (9-11 & 10-12noon respectively). The cost is $2/child under 1 and $5/child over 1. This fee goes towards the hall rental, tea, coffee, biscuits etc. There is a huge range of toys for the babies and toddlers and right now, there is a huge baby boom going on, so the baby group is nice and big. We also host bring and buy’s monthly during the playgroup, aswell as parties at Christmas, with Santa, easter egg hunts etc etc. Once you get to know people from playgroup, you will find that other activities go on during the week/weekend such as beach days, pool days, house play dates and so on….

There is swimming lessons available too for babies and toddlers and this is held in a swimming pool, not open water.

There are plenty of daycare facilities on island, but most expats use Willows daycare. This is a full-time daycare service, where your child is booked in on the same days each week @ $35/day incl food. The staff there also babysit during the evenings and weekends. Prices vary to be honest – depending on who you want and where you live in comparison to them. For example, one lady will just charge a flat fee of $60 regardless if your 1hr or 10hours. Most people usually give around $12-15/hr though.

Hope this answers your questions.

Thanks

admin replied 11 years ago

Hello Adam.
Yes, there is a lot of families. The island is not that big, so the families do a lot of stuff together.

To begin with, you will definitely want to visit THE Playgroup. Basically, families get together twice a week, usually Tuesday and Thursday 10 am and the kids play until about 1pm. It is a great place to meet new people. Start at the BVI Mothers and Children Facebook group BVI Mothers and Children. You will be admitted.

Outside the summer months, the Playgroup usually meets in the Trinity Church (somewhere under the clouds in this map http://goo.gl/maps/uzEeS). The meetings are not religious, the church just has a large inside playing area.

Otherwise, it is really easy to meet new families. The best bet would be going to any beach on a weekend.

After some time, you will hopefully become a part of the community. There is a lot waiting for you. Birthday parties on the beach, BBQs, or just happy hour drinks in Mulligan’s. Mulligan’s is “the” children friendly place with swings, slides and a trampoline. Especially on Friday afternoons, with the traditional Free BBQ Ribs.

See you later!

Adam replied 11 years ago

Sorry been very busy preparing for the move (1 week now) and forgot too check back on this. This info is so helpful and I really appreciate the feedback. I’m certain I’ll see you around in the coming months!