LKFN facility preparing to open its doors
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Mar 30/01) - A second Fort Simpson daycare could open by late April.
The Kids' Corner Daycare, sponsored by the Liidlii Kue First Nation, is hiring staff, getting its certification and permits, and finishing renovations to the former pre-natal building, according to manager Emma Amundson.
The day care will accommodate up to 36 children, she said.
Discussions aimed at merging the community's two daycares hit some snags and there won't be any consolidation, according to Lisa Thurber-Tsetso, a board member with the Melaw Childcare Centre.
"Nobody wants us to move out of the building we're in now because we're centrally located," Thurber-Tsetso said. "I've sent out a letter and we've pulled our offer to merge... I think they were looking for us to hand over everything and that would be the end of us. Well, there's a little more to it than that. We have to think about what's best for this community and the children."
In a previous interview with the Deh Cho Drum, LKFN executive director Jane Cazon said the First Nation decided to open the day care because a community survey conducted a few years ago indicated that many residents desired better quality childcare.
Martina Norwegian, who works for Nogha Enterprises, the LKFN's economic development arm, said she expects there will be sufficient interest in the new facility.
"I think parents might want to try something different," she said.
Thurber-Tsetso said she believes two day cares can co-exist in the community if they make an attempt to compliment each other. Melaw, she noted, doesn't accept children under the age of nine months or over the age of five years. Nor do they allow after-school drop-ins. Kids' Corner could target those children in particular, she suggested.
Although there are slow periods, Melaw has had up to 32 children come through its doors in a single day, she said.
"Hopefully they (Kids' Corner) can take a few of the kids off our hands because we've got way too many most of the time," she said. "There's no need to fight."
Melaw, which has been in operation for almost a decade, employs six people and has enjoyed some continuity in staff over the past year despite a history of high turnover, said Thurber-Tsetso.
