Got excess space? How about a daycare?
Wondering what to do with that extra space your parish rarely uses? You might take some inspiration from two parishes whose extra hall space is now used for the care of children.
Both the Parish of Sussex and the Parish of Riverview now or will have childcare facilities in their excess space.
The Sussex Christian School opened their new daycare in the Trinity Church hall basement Nov. 28. Young Explorers plans to open an afterschool program in the basement of St. John the Baptist Church in Riverview Jan. 5.
PARISH OF SUSSEX
The Rev. Dan McMullen, rector, has been in the parish more than three years, and talks began with Sussex Christian School (SCS) prior to his arrival.
“There was already some discernment and discussion when I arrived,” said Dan, adding the large basement was used mostly for the youth group’s games like hide and seek. “When this came along, in some sense it was a no-brainer.”
Once the two parties reached a consensus, work began last summer to transform a decades-old basement into a vibrant, bright daycare facility for 40 children ages infant to four — with 140 on the waiting list. There will also be an after-school program, and the facility will operate from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“This was a million-dollar project,” said Dan. “The school received funding from the government for 80 per cent, up to a million dollars.”
The parish put up the rest, which will be repaid through the rental agreement. Iron Maple was the general contractor. They used remnants of an old pew for the countertop in the reception area.
“We’re essentially getting our building enhanced, but not on our dime,” he said. “And we get to have our building full of families, and we’re meeting a community need.”
The parish hall’s design made the transformation fairly easy. The hall is connected to the sanctuary, rather than beneath it. With renovations complete, the hall’s basement has several newly constructed rooms — one for each age group — plus bathrooms with laundry facilities, a large reception area, office and kitchenette.
The infant room is upstairs in what was the library. The entire facility has its own entrance and soon, its own playground. The parish will be able to use the new space during evenings and weekends as needed.
“We’re really excited for the partnership,” said Dan.
On Sunday, Nov. 16, the congregation was invited to come downstairs to see the finished facility, and Dan anointed each doorway and prayed a blessing on all who use it.
“I think it’s fantastic to have this basement used for children instead of empty space,” said parish warden Faye Freeze.
On Nov. 21, SCS held an open house for children and others to see the finished space. The facility’s official name is SCS Little Lights Early Learning Centre, Trinity Campus.
PARISH OF RIVERVIEW
Young Explorers, a for-profit business, will soon operate an after-school program in the basement hall of St. John the Baptist Church in Riverview. It planned to open the first week of January.
Young Explorers already operates a daycare, which is full. With the demand for afterschool care high, the owner went looking for a location.
“She approached us in 2024 and we had an initial conversation,” said the Rev. Julian Pillay, the parish rector. “She decided no, but then early this year, she asked if we could revisit it.”
They came to an agreement, and over the summer, Young Explorers painted and decorated the space to make it more child-friendly.
So very soon, each weekday from 1:30 to 6 p.m., there will be upwards of 30 children in the parish basement, doing homework, playing games and enjoying a snack.
Young Explorers rents three rooms and the common space, but not the kitchen. They will use the back parking lot and back entrance. The parish retains several rooms downstairs for its own use.
When there is no school, and through the summer, children will be there all day.
“It will be busy, but a good busy,” said Julian.
Early on, Julian put together a committee to assess the rental, its impact and the feasibility of continuing after the initial one-year agreement.
“We had a few meetings back and forth,” he said. “Thankfully everybody saw the big picture.”
While the parish did not incur any upfront outlay of cash, the cost of things like maintenance, snow removal and cleaning will rise.
“We put together a budget, but realistically, we will only know that after the first year. But from a real estate point of view, this is a good investment. We have a large building that’s empty most of the week.”
However, when the parish needs its hall, for example, for a funeral reception, that will take a bit of creative timing.
For now, Julian plans to have those events take place in the mornings so the kids can take over from 1:30 onward. The groups that usually use the space in the evenings are free to continue.
Julian is grateful for the original designers of the space who built it to house children, he said.
“We’ll be learning how to utilize the space, support the enterprise, bless the community and raise the church’s profile,” said Julian. “And we hope to connect with the parents.
“I’m confident in it, and pleased the parish was willing to move in a positive direction. For me, the big thing is connecting to the community. The church has a responsibility to make that connection.”
Photo captions:
1. Open house Nov. 21 of the SCS Little Lights Early Learning Centre, Trinity Campus, Sussex. From left: Naomi MacKay (Director of Little Lights), Connie Armstrong (Parish of Sussex), Dr.Marsha Boyd-Mitchell (SCS Head of Schools), MLA Tammy Scott-Wallace, Rector Dan McMullin, Vicar Paul Ranson, Joy Knox (Parish of Sussex), Lydia Janes (Parish of Sussex), and Ellen McGaghey (SCS Director of Operations). Nathan Jollimore Media
2. One of the rooms of the Sussex Christian School daycare facility seen during the congregation’s tour Nov. 16.
3. The Rev. Dan McMullen anoints a door way at the Sussex daycare.
4. The Rev. Julian Pillay in the reception area of what will be an afterschool program for children at St. John the Baptist Church in Riverview.
McKnight photos