Niagara Nursery School welcomes Rotary donation

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Rotary Club has become the first branch on the Niagara Nursery School’s donation tree.

The club has pledged $20,000 to the nursery school expansion, supporting one of six rooms in the new location. The room will bear the name of the club, with the name also to be on the Tree of Recognition for donors.

The NOTL Rotary Club will be holding a golf tournament in late summer in Niagara Nursery School’s name, with funds raised going toward the $20,000 donation. 

“We are incredibly grateful and honoured to receive this remarkable donation from the Rotary Club. This is a significant contribution that will help our expansion tremendously,” says Candice Penny, executive director of Niagara Nursery School. “We look forward to finding out which room they have chosen to sponsor.”

Niagara Nursery School has served the community for 49 years, but as more families choose to call this area home, many are faced with the stark reality that childcare options are lacking, says Penny. The current waitlist for the nursery school has more than 155 names on it.

The nursery school, the town and the region are all contributing to the $2 million expansion.

Fundraising efforts will enable this expansion to facilitate: 

• The addition of infant and toddler care for children aged 18 months and younger. With the expansion there will be 10 infant care spots (up from zero), 15 toddler care spots (up from zero), and an additional five school-aged spots.

• Families with multiple children of varying ages will be able to remain together at one location, easing the burden of multiple drop-off and pick-up locations.

• An integrated, intergenerational focus of care will provide children with ongoing, easy access to the community centre’s abundant resources.

• The addition of three new playgrounds, outfitting of age-specific children’s spaces and additional educational supplies. 

With the expansion of the nursery school on the east wing of the community centre, beside the library, the current area used by the school on the west side will be repurposed for community use.

A progress report on the Anderson Lane daycare addition project says “it continues to progress nicely.”

The Niagara Nursery School and Child Care Centre expansion is on schedule to be ready for September, and on budget, with a total projected cost of $2,018,889, a town information report says.

Since April, the window installation, exterior doors, and frames have been completed, and central HVAC lines installed.

This month’s construction activities will focus on installing the brick, exterior molding, framing interior walls, drywall, and plumbing rough-ins.

The town’s portion of the cost is $588,889, and it is also supporting the nursery school fundraising efforts, the report says.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the project can donate at www.niagaranurseryschoolexpansion.com.