Daycare expansions will benefit families

Hants County families waiting for childcare will benefit from expansions in the service.

The Kinder Garden Pre-school and Child Care Centre in Brooklyn has just undergone renovations resulting in an extra 1,500 square feet being added on the facility as another daycare service is set to open up on Gerrish Street in Windsor sometime before January.

Owner Sarah Lamey, of the daycares, said the extra area at the facility in Brooklyn includes a new infant centre, an additional after schoolroom and a sensory room for special needs children, with the new Windsor facility still in the early stages of design.

The centre in Windsor will be located within Pockets as changes to the eatery and bar can soon be expected, Lamey said. “The business has been taken over by new management.”

The need for childcare in this area is incredible, Lamey said. “Everyone’s been after me to take them in… it’s very rewarding and awesome to be able to meet more of these needs.”

With the new expansions in the daycare facilities, the services are now being offered to parents with children aged between six months and 12 years. The cost for infant care is $35 per day and this cost drops to $27 per day for any children over the age of 18 months.

The expansions give parents a lot more peace of mind and choice, Lamey said. “However, it’s also important to have a really great staff… without them you don’t have anything.”

Staff director Deanna Hamilton said employees running these daycare facilities are placed at a very high standard. “We aim to have 100 per cent of staff fully trained.”

The expansions in Brooklyn have benefited the community as the amount of people waiting for childcare can now be cut in about half, Hamilton said. “It helped meet needs.”

Hamilton recalls the first day infants were brought into the renovated centre in Brooklyn.

It was hectic but nice to see new parents able to leave little babies in quality childcare, Hamilton said. “Being able to finally say I’m glad you’re here was very rewarding.”

Anyone looking to contact the daycare in Brooklyn can call 757-2234 and those looking for more information on the new facility in Windsor can reach Sarah Lamey at 452-1200.