The Battlefords now boasts an additional 42 child care spaces after the grand opening of Village Centre Childcare in North Battleford.
Mayor Ian Hamilton, who attended the grand opening, April 15, said the newly opened facility will go a long way to addressing the need in the community.
The childcare centre came about with the support of a number of organizations, including Battlefords Tribal Council, Prairie North Health Region and the provincial government, which provided $177,384 for the creation of the centre.
"Since November 2007, the government of Saskatchewan has expanded the number of licensed child care spaces in our province by over 36 per cent," said Cut Knife-Turtleford MLA Michael Chisholm, who attended the grand opening on behalf of Education Minister Donna Harpauer, and cut the ribbon.
Prairie North Health Region's Barbara Jiricka, vice-president of Integrated Health Services, said having adequate child care spaces can help attract and retain health care workers, especially as they begin to have families.
"It was a common concern," said Jiricka, explaining PNHR successfully applied for $75,000 in funding through the then-NDP government's Health Workforce Employee Retention Program.
Jiricka said Village Centre Childcare, which opened last fall, was also made possible through the contribution of Battlefords Tribal Council, which owns the facility and leases it to PNHR.
"It does take a village to raise a child, and it certainly took a village to create this centre," said Terry Cann, chair of the centre's board.
