P.E.I. MLA wants province's support for eastern daycare

A P.E.I. MLA wants to see a daycare in the Island's east end but wants a commitment from the province for designation.

Darlene Compton has been working with the Dr. John GillisMemorial Lodge, a long-term care facility in Belfast.

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The Lodge recently underwent major renovations and opened a 2,500 square foot pavilionthat serves as an occasional event space in the fall.

Daycare space provided

Compton, along with staff at thatlodge, are hoping to see the space transformed into a daycare.

"[It's an] open concept, beautiful, new space that the owner and operator is willing to provide the space for a daycare," she said. "We have a great fit."

Compton has also been able to secure an experienced daycare operator willingto run the facility, and said there's plenty of interest from the community.

"Last winter with the threat of school closures ... the community really rallied around 'what can we do to ensure that we can grow our community and attract young people' and a daycare was definitely something that was on our list," she said.

Designation needed to proceed

Based on certain conditions, any facility is able to apply and open a licensed early child-care centre but Compton said the operators she's been working with would like to proceed with the promise ofdesignation.

"It's the only particular model this not-for-profit uses and the only one they will potentially use," she said.

With the additional federal fundingannounced last summer for early child care, the province indicatedthey would be selecting four new centres for designation in addition to the 46 established on P.E.I. in 2010.

However, according toCarolyn Simpson,the province'sdirector of early childhood development, those centres will be where the greatest need is, which is in Charlottetown, Stratford and Montague.

In addition to that, early years centres can only qualifyfor designation after they've been in operation for six months.

'We need the minister's help'

But Compton argues that there's a strong need for a daycare in Belfast and would like to see the province endorse one in arural community.

"It provides that intergenerational possibility for the seniors and the children. It's a rural community. It's providing a daycare for care givers. It's helping withrepopulating a rural community. It checks off all the boxes," she said.

Compton said the daycare operator will proceed for the first six months, but would like to see a commitment from the Department of Education for designation.

"The interest is there. We've got the facility. We've got an operator. We need the minister's help."

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