Day care settling nicely into new building

By Rob Vogt, Local Press Writer
The Claresholm Child Care Society moved into their new building a month ago and the executive director said it still feels like a dream.

“It’s been amazing,” said Kim Gugala, director of the society.
She has been with the day care for 15 years and there have been conversations the entire time about moving out of the old location at the town office into a new facility.

“It’s something I just can’t believe,” she said with a smile as she looked around the new facility located just north of West Meadow Elementary School in the northwest corner of Claresholm.

The day care moved on Jan. 29 and officially opened on Feb. 2, after taking the previous day to set up.

“It’s nice to be able to settle in,” she said.
The first thing Gugala pointed out about the new building is that it wasn’t cold, like the old building would be this time of year.
“It was nice and comfortable in here,” she said.
The second thing was that families no longer have to go up stairs to get into the day care, which limited access for some parents and grandparents.
“It’s really handy for drop off and pick up,” she said.
The new facility has a lot more storage as well.
Gugala noted the site supervisor commented, when the building was under construction, there was no way they would fill up that much storage space. When he visited after move-in, the space was in fact full.
“We have lots of stuff,” said Gugala, explaining they are regularly switching out toys and activities.
They did downsize before moving as much as they could.
“It’s a necessity to have this many kids’ items,” Gugala said.
Another advantage is the staff’s ability to organize everything.
“It’s easy for the staff to come in and switch out items when they’re planning activities for our children,” Gugala said.
The kitchen, which is used to prepare lunch and snacks by the day-care’s cook, now has more space, a pantry, and a freezer where everything is kept together.
“Before it was spread out throughout the building,” Gugala said.
The laundry room is also bigger, compared to the old building where the room was not much bigger than the appliances .
“We have plenty of space,” Gugala said.
All washrooms are now wheelchair accessible, with the entire building as well.
“Our building, now we can say, is handicap accessible,” Gugala said. “Where before it was not.”
That means anyone with mobility devices can be supported, because the entire building is now on flat ground with no stairs.
“It makes it far more accessible,” Gugala said.
There are five classrooms in total, but currently three are being used due to the COVID-19 pandemic and measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
The day care is allowed 30 in a co-hort of students, staff and students included. The day care is licensed for a total of 60, but that would mean creating a second co-hort which is not feasible.
The baby room is not in use now so the space is used to clean and sanitize toys every day.
Every classroom has a utility sink, where in the other location they had to use portable sinks.
The electrical outlets are all halfway up the wall now, out of the reach of children.
It was just one of many suggestions staff made during the planning of the facility.
“We could tell them what we need and want,” Gugala said. “It was something I really appreciated to be part of the planning process.”
She was also able to do a lot of walk-throughs during construction.
“They let us be part of it,” Gugala said.
The two to three year old classroom is licensed for 12 children and two staff.
It has tiny toilets, sinks, and towel racks, which are at the right height for children.
“That way children don’t have to use stools to access the (sink),” Gugala said.
She noted that, unlike the old building, not everything is for adults that children have to adapt to.
It allows children to learn independence by doing things for themselves.
“It’s something they can learn to do on their own,” Gugala said.
Moreover, all classrooms have toilets now.
“The kids love it because they have access to the washroom in their classroom,” Gugala said, adding before only two classrooms had access.
The one to two year old classroom is licensed for 10 children and two staff.
Next to that classroom is an access to the back and a yard that has been temporarily fenced.
When the weather is nice, the Town of Claresholm will put in fencing where there will be different fenced areas for different ages. There will also be different surfaces for children to experience.
The three to four year old classroom currently has no students and is being used for indoor gross motor skill activities. It is licensed for 16 children and two staff, and is exactly the same as the four and five year old classroom.
Both also have direct access to the outside.
The office is located right at the front as people walk in, so it is easy to find Gugala. In turn, she can see if people are coming in and who they are.
“We are really, really happy with it,” she said as she concluded the tour of the building. “Everybody was so excited.
“The parents were really, really excited.”
Gugala said the day care is hoping to have an open house when gatherings are permitted again.
“It would be great for the community to see (the new facility),” she said.