New Floors for Wee Care!
Wee Care's brand new training room floors :)
Two weeks ago, we took a tour through Wee Care Developmental Centre with its Executive Director, Dawn MacFarlane.
Wee Care, a non-profit organization located in the North End of Halifax, provides pre-school programs that focus on early intervention and integration. Much more than a daycare, Wee Care provides programming for both typical children and a large ratio of children with physical disabilities and developmental delays. The centre employs a range of staff including early childhood educators, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and music therapists.
In 1991, a devastating fire destroyed Wee Care’s facility. As a non-profit, the centre couldn’t possibly rebuild right away. It took almost six years and much fundraising, but the centre succeeded with its goal. On April 1, 1997, Wee Care moved from a donated space into its new building, which was built at the location of the original site.
Since then, Wee Care has been working to complete various phases of the rebuild, including the installation of an elevator and a new playground. Involved in many of these projects, and those before the fire, were members of HMCS Iroquois, a recently decommissioned Royal Canadian Navy destroyer. When an HMCS Iroquois crew member approached Elegant Flooring to provide flooring for Wee Care’s training room, we were more than happy to assist in any way we could.
Of course, flooring is more than just the tile (or vinyl, or hardwood) itself. To ensure that Wee Care’s training room floors would be completed from start to finish, our friends at Royale Floors and Surfaces, Schluter® Systems and Kiesel happily pitched in. Schluter® Systems generously donated an in-floor heating system that will be well used (especially during the cold winter months!) while Royale Floors provided the labour. Kiesel donated all setting materials and grouts for the project. Special thanks to these companies for their time and materials!
We’re happy to report that the floors have been installed and the space is near completion. Wee Care’s training room will allow for in-person and teleconference training on important skills such as tube feeding a child. Beyond training, the room will also be used for staff and board meetings. Currently, staff meetings are held in the children’s indoor gym, which means all of the equipment needs to be moved out before – and in after – each meeting. Furthermore, the centre’s board members have been conducting meetings in the building’s main entryway. Needless to say, this training space will be well loved for years to come. The first workshop in the space was scheduled for May 29th!
As we toured through the centre two weeks ago, the excitement in Dawn’s eyes was palpable when she spoke about the centre staff and the great work they’ll continue to do on behalf of children and educators. Congratulations to Wee Care on the completion of the training room and on reaching yet another milestone in the rebuild. We can’t wait to see how the space will impact training participants, staff and (most importantly) the kids!
For more information on Wee Care and its incredible developmental programs for kids, please visit http://weecareforkids.ca/