Daycare opens satellite location

By Irene van der Kloet
The new H.A. Kostash school has a perfect space for Early Learning and Childcare for children
ages three and up, but more is needed for daycare in the community and its surrounding area.
Recently, Pumpkin Patch Daycare opened a satellite location in the heart of Smoky Lake on
White Earth Street to fill that gap. Heidie Middleborough, Program Coordinator of both daycare
locations, is very passionate about her work. “I go back and forth between the locations. We
have [in the satellite location] the ages from infant to three years of age and an out-of-school
(OOS) program; we are busy. Our staff works in different shifts to cover all the open hours, from
6.45 am to 6.00 pm. All our staff is trained in Early Learning and Childcare, and Child Care
Licensing Alberta oversees the programs. That being said, we are a licensed program in both
locations. Our program is now fully Reggio Emilia, which focuses on child-centred learning. This
means that we do not have a set schedule, but we are guided by what the children prefer to do
because that is how they learn best”. The daycare is a co-operative: it is run by a Board of
Directors, and the families pay a membership of $10/year and can join the Board. They can vote
at the AGM; that way, they have a say in what is happening here. Apart from that, parents need
to pay a fee for childcare, but the Alberta Government can subsidize that. “We are very pleased
with the help from the community,” Heidi further explains. “we received a lot of help and
donations to set up this location, and our extreme thanks go out to all who helped in any way
possible.” The staff has also been busy setting up the program and has taken “ownership” of it:
they are passionate about providing a high-quality daycare program. “Our job is to make
children thrive,” Heidie says. At the new school, they are hoping to get a fenced yard so it is
safe for the children to play outside. The downtown location has a fenced yard in the back,
which they are still improving, setting it up for the children to make it adventurous and exciting.
That the daycare provides a need is evident as it even has children from as far as Andrew,
Waskatenau and Thorhild. “Our ambitions for improvement include connecting more to
businesses in town. The Drop-In Centre has also expressed interest in being involved, and they
are just a few doors down. And we would like to have all spots filled.” Heidi says.