ESTEVAN - The Estevan Day Care Co-Operative has been a big part of the community for decades, providing child care services, education and plenty of fun to children in the Estevan area.
Emily Gonas, who has been the programming director for the Day Care since May 2016, said they currently have 90 children at the day care, which is capacity, and 22 staff members, all of whom have spent time learning about early childhood education.
“The parents can be comfortable knowing that their kids are cared for and learning and doing different activities every day, and having healthy meals,” said Gonas.
The youngest child at the day care is six weeks old, and young people can remain until their 12th birthday. About 60 of the kids will be there throughout the day, and the rest will be at the day care before and after school.
Kids are fed breakfast before going to school. A bus picks them up from the day care before school, and returns them after school.
Children enrolled at the day care will arrive in the morning, and they play, enjoy breakfast and enjoy an activity that the staff members have planned. Lunch is served, followed by a nap, an activity and outdoor play time.
Parents are happy with the efforts of the day care’s staff, Gonas said.
“They like that their kids are doing activities and we’re possible as much as possible,” said Gonas. “We don’t do any electronics or TV while they’re here.”
Even during the winter months, the kids are spending time outside, unless it’s too cold to be outdoors.
The children are eager to have fun while they’re learning.
“I enjoy coming to work every day, and seeing all of the kids, and watching them learn and change as they get older,” said Gonas.
Kids learn a lot through play, with different opportunities to learn for the different age groups.
The day care is a non-profit. They have a raffle coming up, and details are still being finalized, including dates and items available.
“The raffle is important. We use it to purchase larger, bigger items for the centre,” said Gonas.
The past 18 months have posed challenges for the day care, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gonas said the staff and the kids have handled it well, as they kept everything clean and followed regulations.
It caused them to change their operations, especially early on, and they continue to make a big emphasis on cleaning in order to keep the children safe.
