Daycare, family centre addition will turn care home into intergenerational community hub

Seven-year-olds and 70-somethings will socialize daily when a 152-spot daycare opens inside of a seniors’ residence in Winnipeg in a couple of years.

Construction on a new wing of the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre is scheduled to begin this fall, it was announced Monday.

The project won’t be complete for at least 22 months, but it’s already being touted as a made-in-Manitoba model for intergenerational community hubs across the country.

“It’s a real good idea to mix the younger generation with the older generation,” said Allan Rutherford, a 79-year-old resident of the 200-bed personal care home in Linden Ridge.

“Why? Because my granddaughter, when she first came here to visit, she was scared.”

Rutherford said he hopes new kid-friendly programming will build intergenerational understanding and make the site more welcoming for visitors of all ages.

The not-for-profit facility houses seniors of all backgrounds, but its programming “honours Jewish values and traditions.”

The Gray Family Centre is an approximately 20,650-square-foot expansion that will encompass a licensed child-care facility with spots for children 12 and under.

The expansion, funded in part with a multimillion-dollar capital grant from the governments of Canada and Manitoba, is anticipated to be complete by May 2028.

Laurie Cerqueti, chief executive officer of the Simkin Centre, called it “a $17.6-million investment in community well-being.”

“This project is expected to become one of Canada’s leading examples of intergenerational programming,” Cerqueti told a crowd of nearly 150 people, including residents, nurses and donors, gathered to hear the announcement Monday.

She released long-awaited details about the project during a news conference co-hosted with representatives from the provincial and federal governments.

Cerqueti said she’s been repeatedly asked by parents who’d heard murmurs about the expansion — in particular, they wanted to know how to get on the wait list — over the last two years.

She described the Faye Vickar Lazer Early Learning Centre as “the signature component” of the new family centre. It will be operated by the Rady Jewish Community Centre.

Blueprints show the addition will also include a multi-purpose gathering area for community programming and worship, a grand gallery and a wellness centre.

The model was inspired by Saskatoon’s Sherbrooke Community Centre, a long-term care facility that partners with the local public school board to run an intergenerational learning program. Known as iGen, the program pairs seniors and Grade 6 students to do journaling, inquiry projects and other activities over the course of the academic year.

Asked about her vision for intergenerational programming, Cerqueti said residents and children will make art, bake and celebrate Purim, Passover and other Jewish holidays together.

“We know that it takes a village to raise our children, and today we are strengthening that village,” Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said.

A total of $4.5 million has been earmarked for construction as part of a grant under an intergovernmental early learning and child care agreement. Individual philanthropists and other grants are covering the remainder of the tab.

The unique setup will give young and aging Manitobans the opportunity to learn from each other, develop empathy and “enjoy each others’ company,” said Jeff Lieberman, president of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg.

Ben Carr, MP for Winnipeg South Centre, agreed.

Carr said the multi-faceted facility will build community by inviting families to play and socialize in a welcoming space filled with Jewish symbols each time “somebody comes to visit Bubby or Zaidy” — the Yiddish words for grandmother and grandfather.

Rutherford, better known as “grandpa” to his seven-year-old granddaughter, said he’s looking forward to welcoming more visitors to Simkin Centre.

At the same time, he said he’s concerned the parking lot, which is already tight for space, will be even more cramped when the expansion is done.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca