In light of a change in federal government since the launch of the “Best Start” program last year, and a subsequent cut in funding, the Northwest Catholic District School Board has decided to channel its remaining share of the funding into a feasibility study for local day care rather than opening day care spaces of its own here.
Education Director Mary-Catherine Kelly has met with representatives from the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board, which is responsible for distributing the funding, as well as her counterpart with the Rainy River District School Board, Jack McMaster.
Both school boards and the DSSAB agreed the funding would be better spent to improve existing day care facilities.
“Collectively in the Fort Frances area, we felt that was a good decision for our community,” Kelly said.
As such, the Catholic board will not proceed with the establishment of a day care at St. Michael’s School as was announced back in October.
The DSSAB also “supported added funding to day care centres in Emo, Stratton, and Rainy River,” Kelly wrote in her director’s report, which was tabled at the board’s regular monthly meeting Tuesday night.
The Catholic board is looking at removing its four aging portables at St. Joseph’s School in Dryden and replacing them with a single four-classroom unit.
The school then would use one existing classroom in the school as a dedicated day care centre and use the existing senior kindergarten room for a before- and after-school program, as well as on professional activity days and holidays.
“The [Kenora] DSSAB has informed us we can accommodate 40 day care spaces under this scenario and the DSSAB has committed to funding $200,000 plus all costs incurred to date [$13,000],” Superintendent of Business Chris Howarth wrote in his report to the board.
The portables at St. Joseph’s are in poor shape, he noted, adding some are more than 20 years old. The new unit also would take up less area—creating more than 500 square feet of space in the school’s small playground.
“We see this as really our last opportunity to offer a day care. We have a need for it in Dryden,” Howarth explained.
Along with the $200,000 from the DSSAB, the Catholic board will contribute $270,000 to the project, which will have to be completed over the summer in time for classes to begin in late August.
The board also had considered expanding its existing Biidabaan day care at Sacred Heart School in Sioux Lookout, but learned the expansion would not be needed as the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board would be establishing a day care at its school there.
Also at Tuesday night’s meeting, the Catholic board:
•heard a report from Kathy Mueller, the board’s Catholicity co-ordinator, on the success of events during Catholic Education Week;
•heard an update from Cindy Glavish, the board’s manager of information systems, on the three-year implementation of MISA (Managing Information for Student Achievement); and
•read a prayer composed by Haley Keast and Jillian Kellar, two Grade 8 students at St. Francis School here.
The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 17 at 10:30 a.m. in Sioux Lookout.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
