June 17, 2011
Province Builds New West Kildonan Child-care Centre Under Family Choices Strategy: Mackintosh
– – –74 New Spaces at Victory School
Manitoba continues to fulfil its commitment to support families and is building on the successful partnership with schools under the five-year Family Choices strategy with the creation of a new 74-space early learning and child-care centre at Victory School in Winnipeg, Family Services and Consumer Affairs Minister Gord Mackintosh announced today.
“The future of early learning and child care in West Kildonan just got a little brighter with the expansion of Sunny Mountain Day Care Centre to this location on the grounds of Victory School,” said Mackintosh. “We think the partnership of early learning and child-care centres with schools creates a great advantage for children and their parents.”
Sunny Mountain Day Care Centre will be a building at Victory School, with spaces for 20 infants and 54 preschool aged children. The $1.5-million project is being built through the Family Choices Building Fund, which to date has focused on the use of surplus school space for child-care centres. This new Sunny Mountain site on Victory School property will be the start of a new approach for addressing the need for more child care, Mackintosh said. The Seven Oaks School Division will own the building and partner with Sunny Mountain Day Care as the operator of the new centre.
“We’re pleased to partner with the province on this project and look forward to expanding the child-care options for parents in the area,” said Brian O’Leary, Seven Oaks School Division superintendent. “This is a first and we’re excited to help develop a project that partners with schools in a way that will result in a brand new, purposely built, child and family-friendly centre.”
Sunny Mountain Day Care Centre Inc. operates three child-care centres in the Seven Oaks area including school-based centres at Governor Semple and Belmont schools and a centre at 1965 Main St.
Since its introduction in April 2008, Family Choices has committed funding for 5,600 more child-care spaces with a goal of 6,500 by 2013, Mackintosh said, adding it has also supported the building of 54 new child-care sites, exceeding its goal of 35 new sites. Family Choices can be viewed at www.manitoba.ca/familychoices.
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