Fulfilling their calling
Summerside nuns launching daycare
It took a lot longer than they had originally hoped but a group of Summerside Catholic nuns are ready to open their daycare.
The Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Ragusa opened their new convent on Granville Street in Summerside earlier this year. Part of the original plan for their new home was to open a small daycare as soon as possible and eventually expand.
The sisters recently received their early learning and child care licence from the province and are launching the Mother Alba Learning Centre.
It’s an exciting time, said Sister Margherita Ianni, one of the three nuns of the order now calling Summerside home.
The sisters’ plans in Summerside originally ran into trouble in 2016, when their proposal to convert a home on South Drive into a convent and future daycare was panned by neighbours. City council eventually sided with local homeowners and denied the nuns’ request to rezone the property. However, a benefactor came forward and offered the order land on Granville Street.
Their childcare licence allows them to care for up to seven children between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
They intend to start registrations immediately and hope to be open for business when students return to school in the new year.
Eventually they plan to expand their building and increase their daycare’s capacity.
Anyone interested in registering their child with the sisters can contact them at 902-436-5386 or by email at sacredheartpei@ gmail.com.