Melfort Day Care Co-Operative - Melfort

The Melfort Daycare Co-operative opened its doors to 15 children on September 4, 1979. In a matter of months, it was operating at full capacity with 30 spaces filled. The success of the organization began in the fall of 1978, when a small group of women came together, put in long months of hard work and committed energies, and made a dream become reality. 

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The work involved in the planning phase included a wide range of tasks: liaising with government officials in the Daycare Division and the Department of Co-operatives, compiling necessary research and documentation (70% of working women felt there was a need for a daycare in Melfort), securing a suitable location (the basement of the Salvation Army), securing necessary grants (Local Employment Opportunities Program along with a provincial government start-up grant), discussion on philosophy/programming/staffing/procedures, creation of a daycare brochure, completing fire and health inspections, and hiring of all staff. 

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The daycare changed location in March 1981 to the old Masonic Lodge on Crawford Avenue. There was a period of operating out of three locations, but today, the daycare operates out of two facilities, 116 Macleod Avenue W. and a rented wing of the Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate. The daycare initially cared for 15 children between the ages of 18 months and 6 years and is now equipped to care for 75 children from 6 weeks to 12 years of age. The long-term vision of the daycare is to someday accommodate 90 children within on unified site. 

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The Melfort Daycare Co-operative is a non-profit organization managed by a board of directors. By regulation, the board was set up as parent-controlled and there continues to be many aspects of the daycare’s operation which require parent volunteers. It has always functioned on the basis of identified needs in the community – with the needs of the children having top priority. Throughout the years, policies and procedures have evolved, daily operations look a little different, there have been many changes of board members, staff, children, and parents – but the basic philosophy remains intact – to provide a secure physical, emotional, and intellectual environment for the children who come to our daycare.