Although she jokingly refers to it as “one-stop shop” for parents, Renée Sutton-Hardy is proud of everything offered by Courtice Clubhouse. The childcare facility offers before- and after-school care, daycare for the entire day, nursery school, private school and even summer camps. And with two locations, one with a quiet environment and one with a more spirited one, parents can customize their child’s care even further.
Renée and her staff also like to put some choice in the children’s hands. With February 2015 having been exceptionally cold, for example, there were a lot of indoor days at the centre. Being cooped up for so long can lead to a pretty antsy bunch of kids. Taking safety into account (there’s an unofficial rule of -20 being the cut-off) and making sure to layer up, Renée says the decision of whether or not to go out in little spurts was largely left up to the kids.
Renée says moments like these require a careful balance of caring about the kids and what they want, understanding what is safe for them, and also ensuring that they get their exercise. “We’ll take them out for five or ten minutes,” explains Renée. “But they’re given the choice if they want to go out or if they don’t want to.”
