IQALUIT - Students attending the Nunatta Campus of Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit now have more opportunities for child care after its new daycare opened on Dec. 1.

Officials cut the ribbon during the grand opening of the new Kids on the Beach Daycare facility in Iqaluit on Dec.1. From left, Kathy Okpik, Brenda Dainton, Leslie Leafloor and Neil Myers. Not shown: Dan Vandermeulen. - Kassina Ryder/NNSL photo

The new Kids on the Beach Daycare (KOTB- 519) is located behind Nunatta Campus.

A crowd gathered at the new facility in the morning for speeches and a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The new facility will work in collaboration with the existing Kids on the Beach Daycare, according to director of student services Neil Myers. The old facility will still provide 12 daycare spots for Arctic College students, while the new facility will provide 20.

"It's a big year for Nunavut Arctic College," Myers said.

The 32 spots will help students with children to complete and graduate their programs, Arctic College president Dan Vandermeulen said.

"Child care is one of the major challenges of adult students," he said. "It's a major challenge to stay in school.

"The really big benefit to this is more graduates."

Kathy Okpik, deputy minister of education, said the new facility is especially beneficial to students with infants.

"In Iqaluit, there is a shortage of infant spaces," Okpik said. "In this one, there are more infant spaces so this is great."

The older daycare facility was not equipped to care for infants, according to the department of education's early development manager Leslie Leafloor.

"The other Kids on the Beach daycare had no infant spaces," she said. "This will allow more students to be able to continue at the college."

The daycare is licensed for 12 infants and eight toddlers (two to five year-olds), Myers said. Both daycares will give priority placement to the children of Arctic College students, but the facilities are also open to the public, Myers said.

Daycare director Brenda Dainton said the older daycare's reputation will carry to the new facility.

"Hopefully we'll be able to live up to that to make sure the quality of daycare here is the best," she said.

The facility will officially open at half-capacity on Dec. 3, Myers said. By Dec. 7, the daycare should be running at full capacity.