Expanded daycare up and running at U of M

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This article was published 11/01/2019 (2763 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An expanded multi-million dollar daycare at the University of Manitoba is taking its first steps this month.

The Campus Children’s Centre marked the opening of a 7,750-square-foot expansion on Jan. 8.

Dawn Montebruno, the executive director of the centre, said the expansion and additional 54 spaces were a long time coming.

“Past directors have tried to get the expansion, and it just never happened. They didn’t think the need was there, but it has been there,” Montebruno said. “It’s a real special day that we’ve been able to accommodate many more families.”

Funding for the expansion, which added a second, naturally lit, wheelchair accessible wing and small gym to the centre along Dysart Road, was provided by University of Manitoba Student Association ($2.4 million), the University of Manitoba Graduate Students’ Association ($300,000), the provincial government ($600,000), and the centre itself.

“We’re very excited to be here because above all else, UMSU stands for accessible education,” Jakob Sanderson, UMSU president, said. “This presents an excellent opportunity for our students to be able to receive the education they wish and deserve while having the opportunity to have their children taken care of on campus.”

Shawna Pfeffer, a student and employee at the University of Manitoba, said having a daycare centre on campus has made raising a family and pursuing her education a bit easier, and is pleased the student associations contributed to the expansion.

Her 13-month-old daughter Romi has been attending the children’s centre since November.

“My husband works on campus here as well, so between the two of us we can be here very quickly,” Pfeffer said. “It’s super important. Especially for the younger babies, when the mums are in school or are working, it’s just invaluable.”

Pfeffer said she was put on a waitlist for the facility when she was just three weeks pregnant.
“She loves it here,” Pfeffer said of her daughter. “It’s just so social and whenever she sees kids she just gets so happy, and it’s great.”

Spaces at the daycare are reserved specifically for children of students and staff at the university, Montebruno explained, with priority for the new spaces given to 17 Indigenous families within the university community. Coinciding with the opening of the daycare expansion, the UMSU’s PlayCare facility was closed in September. Nine of the children at that centre, along with staff, moved over to the new building.

The cost for subsidized care at the facility begins at $2 a day with rates increasing based on age and financial ability. Montebruno said there are presently 800 children on the waitlist for the centre, about 200 of which have declared a direct relation to the university.

The expanded space can now accommodate 138 children from three months to six years old.

Part of the funding provided for the expansion will also go to support traditional Indigenous teachings and culture within the daycare’s curriculum, according to officials.