Growing Minds Child Care Centre in Niverville is expanding into a new space to accommodate an additional 15 school age children.

Executive Director Rhonda Kenning says Niverville has many young families and there is a large need for child care at all levels.

"Growing Minds has experienced for several years a lack of school-age spaces to accommodate current kindergarten children that are finishing school. Once they complete kindergarten if we don't have openings in our school aged program we would have to send them back into the community to find additional care."

Kenning says they set up a meeting with community members and parents to inform them about the situation and ask for support in finding a solution. She says they received a lot of proposals for use of space in town, but it was difficult to find one that met the licensing requirements of a daycare.

"We wanted to make sure that we were securing the best quality space possible. As a result of those efforts of the board of directors and the community we have secured a space adjacent to one of our current school-age locations that will allow us to expand to accommodate 15 school age children."

Kenning says with minor renovations and the removal of a wall between their existing space and the new one, the school age location will be able to accommodate 45 children instead of the 30. She says this means they will not need to turn away any current children.

"We are able to accommodate all of the children that have finished kindergarten so we are not sending anyone back out into the community as well we are able to accommodate a few of the children off the wait list whose parents have been looking for school age care as well."

Kenning says despite the additional spaces Growing Minds Child Care Centre still has a considerable wait list.

Kenning says she met with Niverville town council and the project was approved for a conditional use permit. She notes the goal is to open the new location by the start of school on September 5th.