A new child care option opened its doors in Innisfail in August.
Miranda Hale, the centre director of the Innisfail Early Learning Centre, said while Innisfail has many day homes available this is the first licensed daycare facility in town.
“This is the first time Innisfail has had a centre like this,” she said.
The facility has to follow numerous government regulations and standards, from Alberta Health Services inspections to ensuring the temperature inside the centre, which is just behind Central Alberta Co-op on 49 Street, remains a balmy 22 C at all times.
Hale and her husband got the idea to open up a daycare facility when they were first opening up the Innisfail Community Preschool.
“While we were opening that … people were asking us if we were opening a daycare,” she said.
The centre is licensed to hold 34 full-time children. Hale said currently they're at about 80 per cent capacity. The centre takes children from 12 months to preschool age.
There are three different areas. One is for toddlers, one is for infants and the other is for preschool-aged children.
“So they do stay with children their own age,” she said. They have a large outdoor play area as well, she said.
All the staff, including Hale, are certified early child development professionals.
Hale explained that they try and concentrate on children's intellectual, creative and motor skill development. She said all the toys meet developmental standards and are age appropriate.
“We follow a preschool curriculum with them,” she said. “We're big on learning through play.”
While education might be the goal, the staff provide a warm environment.
“They also receive a lot of love while they're here,” she said.
The centre has a full kitchen and offers meals and healthy snacks. Hale said they follow Canada's Food Guide. The kitchen is subject to regulations and inspections.
She said the location, which is close to Innisfail's northern QEII exit, is a “nice hub” for people who might want to use the centre that live in other communities.
Hale has been living in Innisfail for about six years. Before she moved here, she worked at a preschool in Calgary.
“I really want to help Innisfail be a great place to raise children,” she said.
