Watch above: Students and staff at the University of Saskatchewan will have more child care spaces on campus. Joel Senick details the multi-million dollar facility that should be ready to open next spring.
SASKATOON – Construction has started on the newest addition to the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). A one-storey building is going up which will house the university’s child care centre.
The new centre will accommodate 90 child care spaces, bringing the total number of spaces on campus to 200.
Interim U of S President Gordon Barnhart says the new spaces will help those furthering their education.
“As a university we’ve become increasingly aware of the need for more child care spaces,” said Barnhart.
“It is also a particularly important factor affecting the accessibility of post-secondary education for students who have a demonstrated need for child care.”
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Patti McDougall, who is heading up the child care expansion project, says the facility will be a living system and offer children the opportunity to learn and be inspired. Each room will have direct outdoor access and windows will be installed lower to be at a child’s height.
McDougall says once construction is complete, which she hopes will be in the spring of 2016, 75 per cent of total child care space on campus will be for children of students with the remainder allocated to staff.
The Saskatchewan government is funding $1.3 million towards the cost of the $4.6 million centre.
University officials say total costs came in $217,000 lower than expected. The child-care expansion team is looking at using those savings to renovate and add more space to the USSU child care centre.
The new building, which is being built by Gabriel Construction, will be located in College Quarter, west of the Souris Hall residence building.
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