Scene 3: Visiting the New Location

Back-story:

After our meeting with the Department of Social Development (DSD), Ms. May drove us to the potential location for Kiddies College Preschool too. She was excited for our team to explore the location in Plumstead. We were ready to venture into the house with the registration packet guidelines in one hand and a measuring tape in another. There was a woman that was on site, Rita. She allowed us onto the premises to begin the visit.

Cast of characters:

Ms May- our liaison; the new business owner

Rita- Child Psychologist; potential new staff for Kiddies; Currently renting one room of the potential location

Kiddies College Preschool too – The new business that Ms. May will be opening in Plumstead with the help of our team

ECD Team- Nick Deraney, Katelyn Nicosia, Julie Waddell and Mindy Zhang

Setting:

Our Liaison drove us to the location in Plumstead. On this ride from the DSD to the potential location we observed the community of Plumstead around us. There seemed to be affluent areas along with poor middle class areas. Based off this observation, the children that would attend this potential crèche would vary in racial and social backgrounds. As we pulled on to Main Street, each house we passed got us more and more excited to arrive at the potential location. The ride down Main Street seemed to last for hours as our excitement shadowed all sense of time. Finally we pulled up to a house on the left with a black steel gate protecting it. There were white paned windows that opened up the white walls of the exterior of the house. The Sunshine Health & Healing Centre sign, the failed business that previously occupied the sight, added to the vacancy upon entrance. Ms. May envisions the vacant home to be filled with the primary colors of Kiddies with children running all around.  With the electricity currently cut off, sunlight peeked through the wide windows solely illuminating the interior. The small classrooms with wooden floors created a homey feeling for our group. The team could see Ms. May’s vision of Kiddies too with the colorful finger paintings on the wall which compliment the teaching posters of weather, colors, and numbers.

Scene:

Connecting:

With our new knowledge from the DSD meeting, looking at the new location allowed us to see the opportunities of improvement to assure the registration process would go smoothly.

Planning:

Although the social worker did not accompany us to the new location, we still planned to visit for our own observations. Through our research in the prep term and at the DSD meeting, we discovered the requirements for classroom space usage. The government indoor space requirements are 2 square-meters per child 0-2 years old and 1.5 square-meters per child 2-6 years old. The outdoor facilities are required to have 1 square-meters per child at least for the first 30 children. We planned to measure the space of each classroom to determine the area of each room.

Action and Observation:

After entering through the back door of the building, we got a tour of the facility from Rita. She previously worked at Sunshine Health & Healing Centre and is currently renting one room in the facility. The nine rooms we toured were much more spacious than we imagined. However, the location of the facility on a main road is concerning to our group. The potential outdoor play area for the children is located right on the main road separated by the black steel gates. Also, there is less options for drop off and pick up of children on a main road. This will be something to explore further with Ms. May and Tashneem.

With the information sheet we received at the DSD meeting, we measured and recorded measurements of the potential classrooms to determine the area of each room. The rough measurements allowed us to estimate how many children Kiddies College too could enroll based on indoor space requirements of 2m² per child 0-2 years old and the 1.5m² per child 2-6 years old. Our calculations determined that there is enough space in the facility to allow for about fifty children. See figure 3 below for a floor plan diagram with the listing of the estimates of children for each individual classroom.

Reflection and Learning:

After touring this potential facility, our team is hopeful for the future. There is potential in the Plumstead home for a crèche to grow out of. With Ms. May’s drive and passion, it is definitely possible for this dream of hers to come true. Although there are some concerns with the location being on a main road, these concerns can be discussed and worked out over time through talks with Ms. May and Tashneem. We have been excited for this expansion process to begin, and it is finally here. The seven weeks of research and planning for this process has been helpful, as we have used a lot of this information already. For example, the space requirements we researched last term came in handy during this visit. Ms. May and our group will be working together to with the DSD and government departments to determine where to go from here to help this house turn into a preschool. The ECD Team is hopeful for the expansion of Kiddies College.