Centre celebrates early childhood learning
A lot has happened in 12 years. And it’s not just the children whose looks have changed over that time, but the surroundings they did – and still do – play and learn in have changed as well.
It was all being celebrated when Lil’ Jems Early Learning Childcare Centre in Yarmouth County recently marked its 12th anniversary. In addition to looking back, the centre is very much looking forward.
When the government started rolling out its pre-primary program in schools across the province, there was early concern about how it would impact private childcare and daycare centres like this one.
There’s been some re-adjustment at Lil’ Jems, but owner/ director Jodi Mackinnon LeBlanc says they’re as busy as ever, and maybe even more so.
“We have a wait list a mile long for this centre,” she said.
“Within the centre we’ve grown from a centre to a family home daycare agency also,” she added. “Right now we’re at 30 at-home daycares and we’re going to be growing to 37 within a few weeks.”
There are some four-year-olds that have stayed with the early learning centre, however many of the children who play and learn here range from toddlers – 18 months old – up to the 3-to-5year-old mark.
Mackinnon LeBlanc calls what happens in centres like hers a truest sense of early learning.
“At 18 months my kids pour their own milk, they butter their own bread, they’re very independent, they’re not just working on themselves, they’re working with each other,” she said. “If one of my toddlers has their shoe fall off, one of the others will come over right away and help them put their shoe back on. They’re learn- ing – well, from birth on they’re learning ¬– but at 18 months-on at this centre we really focus on independence, respect and selfhelp.”
And the promotion of learning through play is still the major centrepiece to what happens here.
There’s been a lot of aesthetic and physical changes at the centre from recent renovations, which includes new flooring, an updated bathroom, changes to classrooms, the introduction of more sensory play and learning, and bringing nature and other natural elements into the centre.
Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Zach Churchill, also Yarmouth’s MLA, attended the centre’s recent open house to celebrate its anniversary and talked about the significance of what is happening inside these walls and others like them in the province.
“I’m really excited about the progress that’s been made in early learning and childcare. When Jodi and I first met, one in four kids were able to access these programs, it wasn’t affordable for everybody, early educator wages were at the bottom of the pack, space grants weren’t available to help our businesses change to meet the needs of communities,” he said.
“Since then we’ve got wages that are at or above the national average, we’ve got $65 million being invested in the child-care sector to grow it, spaces have grown already by 300, plus another 500 home-care spaces and we’re going to continue to grow that,” Churchill said. “The landscape of childcare is changing. Of course we’ve seen it create some initial issues for the child-care sector, but we’re seeing that start to grow now, as well as having over 3,000 kids in pre-primary this year.”
“Jodi has been a great asset for me as minister,” said Churchill. “And a great challenge,” she said, jumping back into the conversation.
But Churchill credits Mackinnon LeBlanc and her colleagues from around the province in providing feedback that has helped the province to shape how some of the present-day funding looks.
“We’re creating 500 new jobs for early educators with competitive wages, creating more spaces for families and making it more affordable, so there’s been major investments in this area,” Churchill said. “The landscape of it is changing in Nova Scotia, for the better.”
Mackinnon LeBlanc said at the centre they are also now turning their attention to afterschool care and programming, with Churchill adding that the province is looking at partnering with the child-care sector to offer programs for after-school care.