The first public meeting of the new year for Ritchot’s council resulted in some good news for working parents. Council has voted to accept a resolution that names Garderie Ile des Chenes Daycare (GIDCD) as the soon-to-be providers for the community’s newest daycare facility.
Once built, the new facility will be the second daycare managed by GIDCD in Île-des-Chênes. The licenced non-profit organization currently manages a 158-spot daycare inside the TC Energy Centre.
“We were fortunate to get at least one provider,” CAO Mitch Duval told council. “Mayor Chris, Councillor [Shane] Pelletier, and myself did an evaluation on the proposal and are recommending that the Garderie Ile des Chenes is the perfect fit for the community.”
Mayor Chris Ewen agreed.
“Even before reviewing, I’ve known this daycare for quite some time,” Ewen said. “They’ve been a pillar in Île-des-Chênes.”
The new daycare facility is one of nine being built across the Winnipeg Metro Region. The pilot project was spearheaded by John Q Built and funded via grants from both the federal and provincial governments.
Scheduled for completion some time later this year, the new 6,000-square-foot facility will provide 74 additional daycare spots for infants and preschool children.
As part of the agreement between council and John Q Built, a serviced two-acre lot needed to be provided somewhere in the RM.
After months of investigation, council selected a parcel of land located at the southwest corner of Île-des-Chênes, immediately west of Rosybloom Lane.
Accessed from the Old PTH 59, the location will serve council’s goal of preventing cut-through traffic by directing commuters towards a major traffic route.
Rachelle Muller is the director of GIDCD. She says it didn’t require a lot of deliberation before sending a Request for Proposal to the RM to be considered for management of the new site.
“The decision was made by the board and myself and we felt it was an easy decision to make because we do have a large wait list at the centre,” Muller says. “So being able to service more of the community would be very beneficial for Île-des-Chênes.”
With the news of their acceptance so fresh, the only certainty for Muller and the board right now is that the new daycare will be run as a bilingual facility, just like the existing daycare at TC Energy.
Even an opening date is impossible to predict until something concrete is set in motion in terms of the build. In the coming weeks, Muller anticipates working on grant applications for start-up daycares, which will help furnish the new facility when the time comes. If not enough grant money is available, fundraisers may also be a consideration as they get closer to opening the facility.
As for finding staff to run the new daycare, Muller isn’t too concerned.
“We actually have a lot of long-term staff at the centre,” says Muller. “This is our eleventh year and quite a few of us have been here for the 11 years. Many of our staff are wanting to receive training, so this is a great opportunity to allow them to get their [childcare accreditation].”
