**New Building Update - Flood May 2011**

Wawanesa Daycare Hoping to Expand

The Wawanesa WeeCare Daycare is growing. Currently located in one classroom in the Wawanesa school, the daycare is currently licensed for 16 children, with four full time staff members and several casual staff. The daycare is now full, and currently have a waiting list that would more than double their number of charges, but they do not have enough space to take on the extra children.

Jenn Cullen, Director of the daycare, is hoping to expand to provide daycare services not only for the current 16 preschoolers, but an additional 16, along with resources for 8 infants and 15 school-age children who would come to them for before and after school care. In order to do that, she'd like to stay on the grounds of the school, making it easier for the families involved, and safer for the kids, but space in Wawanesa school is severely limited, and building may be their only option.

With that end in mind, the daycare board has been in discussions with the school division, which has been very supportive in finding a solution that works for the daycare and it's member families. Together, they have been looking at sites on the school grounds that would be appropriate for a new building. A site very near the back entrance of the school has been tentatively selected, and floor plans for the new 3000 square foot structure have been drawn up. The next step is to raise enough money to have blue prints produced, which is not a simple process when one is talking about constucting a government building, which are subject to very different requirements.

“We have people calling all the time to be put on the waiting list, sometimes before they even move here,” says Cullen. “We are accommodating a lot of military families, and whether or not daycare is available often influences people's decisions to find a home in Wawanesa, or to find a home in another community.”

Indeed, the expansion of the daycare is not only a good idea as a draw to new families, but also to provide a few new jobs for the area. The government's Workplace Program helps people get training while employed, and one of her staff is already working through the program, which, in addition to another staff member who is getting her qualifications via distance education, will give the daycare four fully qualified staff by next spring.

However, in order to grow, they need more space, and in order to get that space, they need to raise some money.

“There is a potential to receive some funding from the Family Choices Building Fund,” she notes. “But we need to show that we're serious about this in order to qualify for any grants.” This group currently offers funding to renovate surplus school space, but as this is not surplus space, but a new build entirely, they may or may not qualify for that funding.

A fundraising committee has been organized, including daycare board members and parents, community development corporation members, and others. They're certainly not waiting around for grant applications to be approved. While there are members of the committee focusing on grants, the group is also undertaking other fundraising initiatives. Currently in the works is a raffle, in which the first prize is a child's playhouse, built by a parent member, and secondary prizes are an outdoor living patio set and a golfing package. They are hoping that money raised through this effort will be enough to have the official blueprints drawn up.

The draw will be held at 11:45pm on October 2nd at the Oktoberfest Social being held at the recreation centre in Wawanesa. Tickets will be sold at $20 each and can be obtained by calling 824-2957 or by talking to any member of the New Building Committee.

To have your child added to the Wawanesa Wee Care Wait list, please call 824-2933.

Written by Tracy Reimer, reprinted with the permission of the Gazette