ARVIAT - Arviat's first indoor playground is open for business.

The playground is located in the old curling rink, and was funded by $67,000 from the Arviat Day-Care Society and $64,000 from the Community Initiatives program.

Nancy Sulurayok and Angela Flynn, top, have a few laughs trying out the equipment at the new indoor playground in Arviat this past week. - photo courtesy of Angela Flynn

The hamlet of Arviat supplied most of the labour for the new facility.

Early childhood educator and manager of the Shared Care Day Care, Angela Flynn, said it's a tremendous benefit for local youth to have the indoor playground facility.

She said the new facility will help youngsters keep active in the community, even when bad weather strikes.

"Our day care kids will still be able to keep physically active now when the weather's bad or it's simply too cold to go outside," said Flynn.

"We (day care) provide transportation for the kids and have priority for using the playground during regular business hours in the day.

"So, when the cold weather arrives, we'll be able to increase the activity of the kids far more than we could in the past.

"This indoor playground will give all the young kids in the community another way to have fun and stay physically active more often throughout the year."

The day care offers four programs in Arviat: infants, toddlers and preschoolers, the aboriginal head start, healthy moms and babies, and small steps for children referred from Health and Social Services.

Flynn said the small-steps program is exclusively for kids who require a little more interaction.

"We have some deaf children enrolled, as well as some kids who may have troubles at home or cognitive and social delays, anything of that nature.

"They just require a little extra guidance at this point while they continue to develop."

Flynn said the interaction that comes with using the playground benefits all children with their development, not just those who need a little helping hand at this stage of their lives.

She said the playground will be incorporated into the Shared Care Day Care's planning and will be used by up to 75 kids registered at the day care.

"Sharing and taking turns with the different equipment and toys at the playground are important lessons for young children to learn in the development of their social skills.

"The playground is going to be something all the kids are going to want to use all at the same time.

"But, with our educators there to help guide them, the kids will learn the importance of respecting others around them.

"Learning these types of interaction and social skills at such an early age is very important."