Finding a daycare may not be a difficult task — unless your children are very young or require care on weekends.
Lotsa Tots Childcare Services and Kindergarten is seeking to address both of these challenges with its newly opened Lotsa Tots 2 in Extendicare Michener Hill.
Located in the continuing care facility to serve the needs of Extendicare staff with young children, the daycare is also accepting children from the general public.
Shireen Sewcharran-Wiebe, who owns and operates Lotsa Tots Childcare Services and Kindergarten with her husband Cameron Wiebe, said their decision to expand into a second location was motivated by the needs of parents with newborns.
“The reason why we opened our doors to the younger children is because we had at least five calls last year,” she said, describing a couple new mothers who were returning to work and desperate for child care.
There was also a local need for daycare service on weekends, including by Extendicare shift workers.
Lotsa Tots 2 is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. It accepts children between the ages of zero and six years.
Those 12 months or younger are exposed to music, stories, rhythm, dance and tactile opportunities, said Sewcharran-Wiebe. Older children focus on monthly themes, like technology, which are broken down into mini-themes.
Programming at Lotsa Tots 2 will involve Extendicare residents, she added. Children will entertain them, make crafts for them and take part in “walking field trips” through the facility.
Such interaction should be beneficial for both groups, said Sewcharran-Wiebe.
Lotsa Tots Childcare Services and Kindergarten has operated at 29 Michener Bend since 1985, with Sewcharran-Wiebe and Wiebe owners for the past 2 1/2 years. Licensed for 56 children, it offers daycare service and kindergarten classes.
Lotsa Tots 2 can accommodate 28 children, and has a staff of eight. It’s fully booked for January, but Sewcharran-Wiebe said names are being accepted on a waiting list and new openings are expected.
Sewcharran-Wiebe and Wiebe have been involved in early learning and childcare for about 10 years, including in Taiwan and South Africa, and in Sewcharran-Wiebe’s case, Australia.
“We try to put in a lot of multi-cultural experience,” said Sewcharran-Wiebe.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com