Saugeen Shores Childcare Centre (SSCC) is now officially open after the ribbon-cutting on October 26th (2019).
Located on Hwy. 21 (adjacent to Rowland’s Independent Grocer) in Port Elgin, the new specially designed 8,100 square-foot building is the first privately-owned-and-operated facility to be built specifically as a daycare in Saugeen Shores in more than a decade. The new Centre has been two years in the planning and every detail has been carefully considered.
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The Centre was decorated by June Lockhart of television fame. Primary colours are everywhere and were selected to appeal to children, along with furnishings that are all child-specific. From little comfy couches and chairs to bathrooms that are height appropriate, this is a centre dedicated to youngsters.
Large windows in every room provide scenes of the out-of-doors while letting in natural daylight. The mammoth outdoor play area is entirely enclosed with safety fencing and sub-divided into play areas, one of which includes an oval track for tricycles.
Sunil says that the building had to meet many government regulations. “This is also an economic benefit for Saugeen Shores but the real beneficiaries are the families. The ratio is one ECE certified person for each six children and this will mean at least 25 local jobs created.”
Licensed for 140 children from six months old to toddlers, pre-school and kindergarten ages, the Centre also provides before-and-after school care in addition to school break camps and PA days.
There are dedicated classrooms for each age group in addition to a library/resource centre and secure, private age-appropriate outdoor play areas. Nutritious hot lunches and snacks are prepared fresh daily from recipes developed for SSCC by Executive Chef Guillermo Russo.
SSCC is more than a ‘day-care’ facility. It is all about providing play-based learning activities to include sensory development, songs, words, stories, gestures, gross and fine motor skills and outdoor play. Toddlers and pre-schoolers also learn to count, enjoy music, art and movement while full-day kindergarten involves, math, reading, writing, play-based learning, social skills development, science & technology, music, the art and physical education.
While the Centre provides quality day care, it also offers homework and tutoring support for school aged students six to 12 years old, before and after school. It’s a Centre where, according to the staff, “fun and learning happen”.
