Day care cleaning up with recent renovations

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This article was published 09/02/2011 (5544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Transcona-based daycare recently got a makeover courtesy of a grant from the Winnipeg Foundation.

The Transcona Jaycees Daycare Centre Inc. received a $25,000 grant to help pay for renovations to the Winona Avenue building that has been its home since 1976.

Director Jen Stewart said the grant was great news for her and other employees of the centre.

“It’s such a great help because we have a limited budget being a non-profit organization,” she said.

“It was really exciting to know we could go forward with it and not affect our budget. It wouldn’t take away from the program.”

The renovations included upgrades to two bathrooms located in the basement of the building. The bathrooms now have automatic faucets, new change tables, and low-flush toilets.

Stewart said the improvements will provide a healthier environment for children, staff and visitors. The centre currently provides care to 79 children with another 70 families on a waiting list.

“They’re just more easy to clean with the hands-free faucets, and it’s helping a lot with the health and wellness of the children and adults,” Stewart said.

This is the second time that the Winnipeg Foundation has assisted the centre with renovations. It also helped to pay for improvements that were made to the centre’s playground three years ago.

Megan Tate, community grants co-ordinator for the foundation, said helping daycares like the Transcona Jaycees is part of the charity’s mandate.

“The Winnipeg Foundation supports quite a few early learning and child care centres across the city,” she said.

“From their application it was clear that the work really needed to be done … Just for the health and safety of the children and staff, we felt it was important for the work to be done.”

Stewart said further renovations are already in the planning stage. The centre plans to apply for additional funding to renovate its upstairs bathrooms and wash areas.

The proposed improvements won’t impact programming at the centre, Stewart added.

adrian.alleyne@canstarnews.com