Niagara Nursery School recognizes expansion donors

This Sunday, the board of directors and staff of Niagara Nursery School unveiled a special wall installation to celebrate individuals, organizations and businesses that have donated to the  school’s expansion fund.

“We are very grateful to all of our donors who contributed,” said Candice Penny, executive director of Niagara Nursery School. In all, $80,000 was raised, which was “used to purchase furniture for the infant and toddler spaces as well as put funds towards our debenture.”

In September 2021, the daycare relocated to a new extension of the Community Centre, allowing for significant expansion, including the addition of infant and toddler programs and a larger outdoor space.

The nursery school has several rooms dedicated to different age groups. The infant room is divided into two spaces, a bright and spacious play/learning area, and a cozy sleeping room where every baby has their own assigned crib for nap time.

The toddler room is “definitely a big step up from our infant room,” said staff member Sarah Brunton. “We kind of follow a preschool schedule a little bit more, so they’re sleeping on cots, they have a snack and outside time, usually twice a day.”

Children aged two and a half to four years spend time in the preschool room, practising letters and numbers, social interactions with others, and many other activities in a variety of learn and play zones. Another classroom is used by school-age children after school or during holidays such as March Break.

“Our growing waitlist shows that the demand for quality childcare in Niagara-on-the-Lake is extremely high. Thanks to the tremendous support of our donors we were able to grow our programs to accommodate even more children for years to come,” said Olivia Fabiani, board president of Niagara Nursery School.

These additions have allowed the school to support the community by offering programs for newborns up to 12 years — they previously started at 27 months — and have doubled the capacity from 39 students to 69.

Celebrating their 50th anniversary of operation during COVID, the school has also doubled their staff roster from nine teachers to 18.

Many donors were able to show their continued support by attending the unveiling of the donor plaque.

“Choosing to donate to the Nursery School was important to us to support the current children but also a hope it continues to support many more children for years to come,” said Jason and Caitlin Disher from Niagara Truck ’n’ Stuff in a news release.

Andrew Perrie, director of The Fine Estates Team, said that “investing in the future begins with nurturing the roots of our community, and by contributing to Niagara Nursery School we are sowing the seeds of education and growth for future generations.”

As a not-for-profit, 100 per cent of funds raised are put directly back into school programming and essential learning equipment which directly benefits the students of Niagara Nursery School.

The nursery school continues to welcome monetary donations from residents and local business owners. Please email [email protected] to arrange for your donation drop-off.