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Sep 4, 2002

New day-care centre for Port Loyola

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For many working families, particularly those headed by single parents, the institution known as day-care is more necessity than luxury. Today News 5’s Jacqueline Woods was on hand for the opening of Belize City’s newest day-care centre.

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting

This toddler simply could not stay awake for the occasion. But as he slept soundly, his older friends kept each other busy. The children may not be old enough to understand the importance of the day, but for their parents and caregivers, the opening of the Port Loyola Day Care Centre was long overdue.

Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Area Rep., Port Loyola

“Very much needed. Contrary to what was being said earlier, we did not have a day care centre that belonged to the community. Government was paying rent on Sanker Street for the first two years, but we needed a government facility to be a part of the amenities here at the community centre and the Port Loyola Community Pre-school. So we’re very, very happy at our brand new building for the day care centre. And as you know, there has been a refurbishing and upgrading of all the facilities, play area in the yard, swings and slides and everything, and they’ve raised the floor of the community centre and pre-school by about fourteen inches. Plus, brand new furniture and just really much better amenities for the children here in Port Loyola.”

The building is situated to the back of the pre-school, which was recently refurbished. The centre’s construction was made possible through the Social Investment Fund and community sponsorship. Part of the money was used to build a fence to enclose the compound. Shanda McDonald, a parent and one of the project’s co-ordinators says she knows from personal experience why it was important for them to make sure that the children would be secure once at the centre.

Shanda McDonald, Project Co-ordinator

“It was like last year around this same time, I have a son and he was attending the Port Loyola Community Pre-school and when I came to pick him up, neither of the teachers knew of his whereabouts. What had happened, was my son recognised one of his little cousins on the street and he ran out after him, leaving the compound without any of the teachers noticing him. So in experiencing that I went to the minister and said, we really need to do something about making sure that the compound, being so large and everything, is enclosed so that the teachers will know what is happening with the children.”

Presently there are fourteen children at the day care centre. Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.

If you are interested in sending your child to the Port Loyola Day-care Centre, please contact Jenny Craig at 227-2057.


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