The staff of Funshine Early Learning Centre Ltd. has been tending children from Virden for 30 years, as of April, says Lisa Hicks, the childcare facility’s director.
She has worked there since Funshine’s beginning.
“We’re fortunate enough to have a few other staff to have been here almost as long,” said Hicks, naming Laura Densmore, Chris Brereton and Sharon Rhodes as long-time staff.
“One of our full-time employees, Kayla McKinny started out as a child in Funshine’s care. She’s now on staff.”
Hicks started off as assistant director with her Early Childhood Educator III – a two-year diploma she received after attending Assiniboine Community College to take what was then a fairly new program.
Melanie Colli of Hamiota was the first director before Hicks took over the job.
“Our wages, compared to other industries, are low, but when I started they were really low,” Hicks reflected. She says professional childcare has become more respected.
“It’s being seen more as a career.”
Heart for children
It takes a big heart to help shape little minds reads the sign in Hicks’ Funshine office, and she should know. Although she is the director and is responsible for office work, she is still involved directly with child care.
She either opens or closes the centre on a regular basis. “Other times, I go out and sit with the children at lunch time, or sing songs, help with diaper changes or relieve someone during their break, if need be.”
Children as young as three months and up to six years attend Funshine.
“All our programs are essentially play-based, where the kids learn through play and activities,” says Hicks.
The daycare now operates Funshine Pre-school at Mary Montgomery School, Monday to Thursday, mornings and afternoons for three to five-year-olds.
A school-aged program at Mary Montgomery School takes care of children who arrive before school and stay after school, or when there’s no school because of teacher professional development days, and during Christmas and summer vacation.
Big small children
Hicks reflects upon her chosen career saying, “I guess, because I came from a large family, I just love kids.”
The daycare director thinks in child-sized terms.
“It’s funny, because I’m working all the time with the smaller furniture, toilets, sinks and everything, but when you see the kids out in an adult world, they seem so tiny. But here, they are little people that are quite capable of doing things.”
In a daycare, kindergarten aged children become the graduates.
“In our world, our kindergarteners are our big kids. We think of what big kids they are and what they can do.”
