Looking for a solution
Baddeck Nursery School, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development continue to work on resolution
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development says its working toward a positive resolution with the Baddeck Nursery School.
The Baddeck preschool, which had been in operation for more than 45 years, closed its doors in June after the introduction of the provincial pre-primary program, which will start in September at Baddeck Academy.
Four years ago, the Baddeck Nursery School received a loan from Housing Nova Scotia. At the time, licensed childcare providers were overseen by the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services.
The loan was used for renovations to the nursery school classroom at Baddeck Academy, which is leased through the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education to make it more preschool/toddler appropriate.
Terms dictated the loan depreciates each year the nursery school stays in business, with that in mind, the board of directors for the nursery school extended its lease until 2023 to fulfil the loan requirements.
In an interview with the Cape Breton Post on June 19, Tammy MacSween, treasurer of the board, confirmed the school still has an outstanding loan, with just under $60,000 left to pay.
The school hopes the loan will be forgiven before it turns over the keys to its classroom to the former school board, which MacSween says indicated would like to use the space for its preprimary class.
“Our issue is we just have this outstanding loan that we want to take care of first,” said MacSween in the interview. “We’re at a standstill.”
In an email statement on June 20, Heather Fairbairn, spokeswoman for the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, said the department is continuing to work with Housing Nova Scotia and the centre for education.
“We have been in continued contact with the Baddeck Nursery School throughout this process and we are confident that the matter will be resolved soon.”
said Fairbairn.
In 2017-18, 12 students were enrolled in the school’s junior program, while the final graduating senior class featured 20 students, all of whom will attend Grade Primary next year.
The school held its final graduation ceremony on June 18 at the Baddeck Community Centre where about 60 people attended, including former students, board members, parents and friends.