As of October 2, the Hanover School Division (HSD) is officially accepting proposals for childcare services at Niverville High School. While the section of the school that will house the daycare is still under construction, the tentative target date for the facility’s opening is September 1, 2020.

Applications are being limited to provincially licensed daycare providers and information will be sent out and posted publicly to give every licensed provider within the division an opportunity to apply.

The approximately 6,300 square feet of space being readied for the daycare will be sufficient to provide room for the 74 childcare spots allotted to this facility by the province. Of these spots, 53 are designated as preschool and the remaining 20 for infant care.

Kevin Heide, HSD’s Secretary-Treasurer, says there are two other schools in the division which have been equipped with daycares—Steinbach’s Clearspring Middle School and the Steinbach Regional Secondary School as part of their recent addition. 

“School facilities including childcare spaces have been occurring provincially for a while now and seems like a logical fit,” says Heide. “This is entirely a provincial decision and HSD will continue to work with the province as they see fit.”

But working with the province simply means providing the space, not managing the facility.

“Childcare providers have full autonomy from HSD’s perspective in terms of operations and programming within their rental space,” says Heide. “Each location has their own discussions regarding use of facilities outside of the physical space provided, specifically for… areas such as the gym or library. This will be left up to the school and provider to consider at the discretion of the principal.”

Filling the space with furnishings and equipment will be the provider’s responsibility. They also have some leeway when setting the hours of operation. As for governance and staffing, the provider must follow the guidelines supplied by the Provincial Early Learning and Child Care Program.

“With a five-year term [agreement] and a renewal clause of five years, it is the expectation that HSD will have limited responsibility for the daycare other than maintenance of the facility,” Heide says.

Since childcare spots are currently at a premium in Niverville, the facility is likely to fill up quickly. But it will be up to the successful childcare applicant to advertise their spots and accept enrollees when the time comes. Heide says it will also be up to the provider to determine whether priority will be given to Niverville residents.