Sanikiluaq daycare moves so facility can expand

Sanikiluaq’s daycare is moving as renovations begin on the community’s existing child-care facility.

Starting Oct. 26, the daycare will move into a temporary space at Nuiyak elementary school, according to an Oct. 1 update that the Sanikiluaq District Education Authority posted on Facebook.

The DEA initially told families the daycare building would be demolished Oct. 25 to make way for a new facility.

“We wish to clarify that the daycare is closing to allow for renovations,” said Tyler Kraft, the DEA’s office manager, in a statement posted to Facebook on Monday. “We recognize that the incorrect information may have caused concern and confusion among families, staff, and community members.”

“We regret this error and any distress it may have caused,” he said.

The project involves renovations to expand the number of licensed child-care spaces, said Kuthula Matshazi, director of stakeholder engagement for the Department of Education, Sept. 29 in an email to Nunatsiaq News.

Construction is scheduled to begin Oct. 25 and is supported by early learning and child-care infrastructure funding from the federal government.

The department did not provide a cost estimate for the project.

The renovation is expected to be complete by Sept. 1, 2027, Matshazi said.

The daycare is currently licensed for four infant spaces and 16 preschool spaces. The renovated facility is expected to add two infant spaces and eight preschool spaces, bringing the total to six infant spaces and 24 preschool spaces, Matshazi said.

Kraft had previously said in an interview that 12 children were on the waitlist to enrol at the daycare.

The temporary location at Nuiyak School will allow daycare services to continue during renovations, ensuring the seven employees — six full-time and one part-time — can continue working.

The larger facility would also allow the daycare to hire more staff and include technology intended to support early education, Kraft said.