ICYMI: Flagstaff Kids Connections Daycare to open this summer

The Flagstaff Kids Connections Daycare has announced that they will open a location in Killam this summer. “We are going to open up Aug. 2,” said Joyce Biggs, Chairperson of the group.

The daycare centre, which will be licensed, will be located in the basement of the Pentecostal Church.

“We will be able to have a maximum of 20 children,” Biggs added.

The daycare now has society status, and is also a charity.

“Tax receipts are available for any donations,” said Vice-Chair Dan Fee.

“We wanted people to be able to live and work in Flagstaff,” said Biggs.

“Many people have left or not moved here because of the lack of childcare.”

Biggs added that the Town of Killam, as well as those who made financial donations, were instrumental in getting things off the ground.

“It’s nice to see that those people believed in our project like we do,” she said.

Biggs also noted that Pentecostal Minister Ben Kellert and his counsel gave the organization incredible support and helped them make their goals a reality.

The space in the church basement required minor renovations in order to meet requirements for childcare.

“Our next step is to advertise for staff and acquire equipment,” said Fee.

“Our long term goal is still to have our own facility,” he added.

Owning a separate building for the daycare would lower operational costs, once the facility is paid for.

For the time being, the planned hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Childcare will have full-time, part-time, and drop-in options.

Biggs noted that no children under the age of one will be able to attend the daycare at this time.

Rates are not finalized yet, but they are expected to be competitive with other childcare options in the region.

“We aren’t doing this to take away from day homes or sitters,” said Biggs.

Parents in the area, she said, need options to be able to choose from.

The daycare will also run year-round, and is looking at the possibility of working with area high schools in order to provide work experience.

There are also programs that may become available in the area that allow students to earn credits toward their diploma while also attaining their Level 1 childcare certification.

If those possibilities become a reality, they will also offer summer positions for those students.

The group will be accepting applications for children to attend the daycare at the time of press, and those interested are asked to contact Biggs or Fee.

The pair also ask that anyone with questions or concerns feel free to ask them.

“I’m very proud of us as a committee,” said Biggs.

The committee includes: Tanya Piche, Christine Callihoe, Diane Gordon, Andrea Bole, and Dr. Sam Ogbeide, along with Biggs and Fee.

Biggs noted that they hit a lot of road blocks, but all persevered with the mindset that, “This is what we need, and this is what we are working toward.”

“We are not opening this just for Killam people,” stressed Biggs.

The daycare is open to anyone from surrounding areas who is interested. They chose Killam for a location because most committee members reside there, and Biggs noted that it is hard to run a service like this in a place that you do not know as well as your own community.

Additionally, they are open to providing others with the knowledge they have gained from the process of opening a daycare.

Biggs said that if other communities feel they have a need, the committee would be happy to assist them in setting up satellite locations.

Even if their need is smaller, she said, other daycares could be set up for fewer children, as long as a space can be found that meets requirements.

“We are not in this for ourselves,” said Biggs, noting that most committee members no longer have children young enough to require daycare.

“We are in this to see the communities of Flagstaff flourish.”

Megan Lockhart
Associate Editor