Bayview Child Development Centre
133 Company Road B0E 2W0 Port Hood, NS, Canada

Erin and Jigisha working away to get our beautiful daycare set up! We’re closer than ever and SO excited! We will be having another Toy & Kitchen Supply donation drive this Sunday at 3pm, click the event link below for details:... https://fb.me/e/4DqzptS6A

Today’s the day for donation drop-offs in Port Hood! 3pm at 705 Marble Hill Rd! (Not at Bayview)

Reminder that we are having our donation day tomorrow Saturday. The list of items is on the event page but we are looking to outfit a whole kitchen and playroom. Any help is appreciated and please share and invite your friends.

In case you're thinking of a change.

Along with the exciting news about recruiting our lovely directors, we are in need of public support to stock our kitchen and our classrooms. Below are the lists of kitchen items and classroom items we are in need of. We will be doing a drop off day in early October at the daycare, but will happily accept donations before then. Please contact us for further details on early drop off. As a note, if we receive more than we are needing, we will pass on the extras to other child...Continue reading

***UPDATE: We have found something! Thank you so much everyone!*** Jigisha Patel, one of our new Daycare Co-Directors is moving to the area but we havent yet found a home for this lovely family! We are looking for a long-term rental close to Bayview Education Centre.... You can message us here on the Facebook page or send an email to [email protected] Thank you!

We are very excited to announce our Co-Directors! Jigisha Patel & Erin Webb! Both Jigisha and Erin are Level 2 ECEs with years of experience and see their work as a life calling. We have had a wonderful time getting to know them better through the hiring process and are excited to see them at Bayview Child Development Centre!

We just had a social distancing Renovation tour! Lots of progress made and we're excited about the future.

Perhaps you know someone who might be interested in this program. There will be work in Inverness County!

Its me Schön, the second Co-Chair Its always been my dream to live in Cape Breton, but there are sacrifices we made as a young family moving away from our extended families & friends. The biggest has been child-care. There is a huge need in Inverness County, and we all feel the effects. There are lots of skilled people living here not working because they dont have someone to take care of their kids. And there are even more who wish they could be here but this is one of those major blocks to them being home. I couldnt imagine living anywhere else, this is the home of my heart. Im working on this project because I know that Im not the only one who feels this way. We need this essential infrastructure for the future of our County.

Meet Joanna! I chose to get involved with the association because I think it is a service that is needed in our community. Being a young mom who is also a student and seeing the need for a centre that can serve more people in our community. As a plus this offers a great service to our community as well as an opportunity for jobs.

This is Stephen, our Co-Chair His reason for being on the BCDCA: Moving back to Cape Breton after living away for 15 years was always a dream for us, and to be able to raise our son Sam in Judique is a privilage. However Day care is limited and a new facility will serve the area well, it's been an honor to be a part of this fantastic group and watching this project come to life!

This is Victoria, our Treasurer My reason for being on the board is that I know the struggles of trying to find child care if youre new to the area. If I didnt have family and friends to help out, I wouldnt have been able to work outside the home. Having a daycare will help ease that for young families in the area and those looking to move here.

My story! If you can help please make a donation. All donations are doubled by a generous donor for the next month. -T https://www.gofundme.com/build-the-bayview-daycare

Meet Thom, our founder! Thoms reason for being part of the association: A couple of years ago a conversation at a child's birthday party pushed me to start working on the Bayview Child Development Centre. I was speaking with a mom and dad from Port Hood who had to miss work regularly because they didn't have reliable childcare and I was frustrated (imagine how they felt). ... My wife and I were so fortunate to have the caring ECEs of the Whycocomagh Child Development Centre to support our children in their pre-school years. The WCDC model is perfect for rural areas so I thought why not copy it at Bayview? The rest is history. The best investment we can make is in our young families. With supportive, stimulating childcare parents can work and children's development can be nurtured. Parenting is challenging. Knowing your kids are in a safe space can make all the difference

This is Katie! Her reason for joining the Bayview Child Development Centre Association: I moved home after being away for 14 years, because I wanted to raise a family here. I did not want to be one of those people who left forever. But I understood, coming back, that some things were not going to be easy, and you were going to have to work to be part of the solution to the problem. One of those things was going to be childcare. In Calgary, my sister has her choice of daycares, here, I have none. And I want us all to have better than that, I want to bring in the services that young families need here, because we need young families.

Meet the Association Members! Over the next little while well be introducing you to us! The Bayview Child Development Centre Association. Were a group of parent volunteers dedicated to getting the daycare open. First up is Courtney our Secretary!... Her reason for joining: I am on the board because I have three young children and similar to many other families in the area, I am in need of quality childcare close to home.

More evidence for the benefits of the early childhood education that will be offered by the Bayview Child Development Centre. This is the best investment we can make. Can you contribute now and help us finish the renovations? https://www.gofundme.com/f/build-the-bayview-daycare

Thinking about a career as an early childhood educator and already have experience with kids. This would be the perfect program for you.

More evidence that investing in the early years is a good deal. Now you can invest too by supporting the renovation of the Bayview Child Development Centre. And best of all your investment will be doubled by a generous donor. Donate now at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/build-the-bayview-daycare

This is a potentially great opportunity for someone with experience/education in working with kids (such as a teacher or home daycare operator) who wants to upgrade to become a full Level 2 Early Childhood Educator. There is even a tuition incentive. Contact [email protected] for more information or to register.

Exciting News! donate today to have your impact doubled! https://ca.gofundme.com/f/build-the-bayview-daycare

On Tuesday East Coast Credit Union came through in a big way for our new daycare! A huge thank you to the ECCU Board of Directors and especially Kathy MacDonnell-Rankin our local rep. With this generous donation we'll be able to purchase a required commercial grade dishwasher for our kitchen. Not only will this allow us to wash our little cups and dishes after snack and lunch but we'll be able to fully sanitize our toys and equipment. Maybe we'll have fewer runny noses because of this generous donation. Maybe. (photo credit to the Inverness Oran)

While this is appreciated, do you get the feeling that a lot of these childcare plans feel very nonstrategic and piecemeal? But anyway the main thing is that this is at least on their radar and may help with the development of daycares in Inverness County.

The place is really coming together. More news to come!

We have a main entrance. Getting there. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

Please take this survey if you have daycare age children (up to and including age 4). Please share.

Hey all, sorry we aren't posting so much these days. Social media is a full-time job and we all have jobs already. We are still busy working on getting this daycare going. Around a week ago we had a good meeting with the school board and they took us on a tour of the space. Construction is going ahead but as anyone who has ever done a renovation before knows it always takes longer than you think. We definitely still need donations so if you can donate please do so by clicking on the link above. Stay tuned and please share.

Very hard to operate let alone open a daycare right now thanks to pre-primary. Glad to see something is happening but more needs to be done. We are still working to make this daycare a reality as soon as possible. Thanks for your ongoing support.

Major challenges to daycares caused by the preprimary program. We are not there yet but when we are hiring staff this will likely be a major issue leading to us not being able to take in as many children as we could. Contact the minister if you are concerned.

This is a huge barrier to all licensed childcare centres.

Some shots of the construction of our new licensed daycare. Please share that you are excited that we are getting a daycare. We need to let everyone know.

Well given that we are in hiring mode, it's a good time to mention how to become an Early Childhood Educator. This is a good, in-demand job for anyone who loves working with kids and is looking to retrain or high school kids wondering about what to do after graduation. Check out the link below for more information.

Not much to report these days as construction is continuing and our search for our first director is ongoing. Please help us reach the right candidates by sharing the job post on your feeds. Stay tuned . . .

Can you help us spread the word that Bayview Education Centre in Port Hood is getting a licensed daycare and that we are HIRING an Executive Director? Please share this post widely and especially with any Early Childhood Educators you know. Our perfect executive director is out there and we won't find them without your help!

The Board of Directors had a productive meeting last night and had a quick look at the construction of our new daycare which is underway. We also got to meet the new principal and vice-principal of Bayview Education Centre. We are still in the hiring process so please help us let everyone know that this daycare is coming and that we are looking for qualified early childhood educators. More to come . . .

Sorry for the lack of info and updates everyone. We are still plugging away but it is the summer. Don't forget to please write a letter of support as outlined in an earlier post and donate if you haven't done so yet. More to come . . .

We get messages all the time from parents who are desperate for childcare and who are really looking forward to our centre opening. This mom is moving back to the area soon and is looking for childcare for her kids: "me again! any updates as i dont see any new info on fb page. I am looking for confirmation of a sign up sheet and pricing for my kids to start in September. i am moving back into the area but child care is a major factor for my work and i need to be able to tell them my start date. Sorry to be a bother!" By supporting the Bayview Child Development Centre you are helping families (and employers and kids and . . .)! Please donate today by clicking the link below.

We need your help (and/or your business')! The Bayview Child Development Centre is applying for federal funding to support the establishment of our daycare. Can you please prepare a letter of support based on the template here? Please return the complete signed and scanned letter to: [email protected] OR: dropped it off at the Mabou Freshmart attn: Victoria MacIsaac ... OR: mail to Bayview Child Development Centre 133 Company Road PO Box 231 Port Hood, NS B0E 2W0 Please share and encourage others to participate! The more letters we get the better. With your help we can do this!