The Kinkora Early Learning Centre celebrated its five-year anniversary on Sunday with a pancake breakfast. 

Since it opened, the centre has grown from its original size of just 18 students to now supporting children from more than 80 families in the area, said Jamie Gallant, the director of programming. 

“There’s always a need for early childhood centres in any community, and this one here is no different,” she said. 

“I think it’s so helpful that we’re able to have these children here in this rural community.” 

Having the centre located right in the community makes a difference for families in the area, said Nichole Doucette, an early childhood associate. 

“People don’t have to travel as far to take their kids to places like Summerside or Charlottetown,” Doucette said. 

“There’s a high need. Everybody needs childcare in order to go back to work, especially in this economy.”

It’s not just the families and caregivers that benefit from early learning centres, Doucette said. 

“I really feel that children who get to come to an early learning centre really get to develop skills that they may not get at home, especially if they’re an only child or if they’re just staying with their grandparents,” she said. 

“They get the social aspect here … they get to make friends, they get to kind of come out of their shell.”

Virginia Everett said her two-and-a-half-year-old son loves his teachers and the friends he’s made during his time at the Kinkora Learning Centre.

Everett said when she picks him up at the end of the day, it’s hard to get him out of the building. 

“He comes home learning something new every single day and I know everything that they’re doing from activities to play is always developmentally appropriate,” Everett said. 

Knowing there’s a place in the community where she can drop off her son and know he’s being taken care of like family is a special feeling, she said. 

“If we didn’t have daycare I truly don’t know what we would do … It’s absolutely important for us. It’s critical for a lot of people on P.E.I.,” Everett said. 

“As a first-time parent, there’s a lot of things that I do not know so it’s wonderful to be able to work with the daycare and the teachers there and figure out what is best for him at each stage of his development.” 

Everett said her family was very lucky to secure a spot for her son in an early learning centre. But some other families don’t have the same experience. 

“There’s a lot of people who have been on wait lists for a really long time who can’t find childcare and it makes a huge impact on their lives — a huge negative impact — when they can’t find somewhere to take their children,” she said. 

“It absolutely is a need in Prince County and everywhere on P.E.I.”

Gallant said the waitlist for the Kinkora Early Learning Centre is about 150 names long. She said the centre hopes to take in as many people as possible from the surrounding community. 

“It’s only … a growing population, so it’s just so important that we can help as many families as possible.”