CUDWORTH — After what may have seemed like a long wait, the end is in sight for parents in Cudworth and area awaiting licensed childcare.
The Cudworth Childcare Centre’s waitlist for parents opened last week and filled within 40 minutes, and the Board began advertising for staff in May. Housed in the former Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Church, which underwent extensive renovations, the Cudworth Childcare Centre is expected to be able to accommodate at least 40 children with licensed spaces designated for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-aged children.
Before embarking on the journey to bring a day care to Cudworth, a survey was conducted in 2022 to determine if there was enough interest to warrant the undertaking. Approximately 27 families expressed an interest in having a day care located in the community, while another eight were interested and looking for before and after-school care. With that information in hand, forms were filled out, and the start-up work of forming a non-profit organization began. A board was formed, and they began fundraising to bring the dream to fruition.
Meanwhile, also in the fall of 2022, the parishioners of Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Church made the difficult but unavoidable decision to sell their church building. Declining attendance and aging parishioners, and expenses gradually outstripping revenue led to uncomfortable conversations about how to go forward. Selling the building was the only option that made sense. Before the building could be listed for sale, the lot the church occupied had to be resurveyed and the subdivision redone to ensure no old grave sites were erroneously included in the sale of the land and building. Additionally, all sacred and secular items and the cross on the outside of the building needed to be removed before any sale was finalized.
Little did the two parties know that the end of one would be the beginning of another. The Cudworth Childcare Centre was able to purchase the former church building, and renovations began in early 2024. A Government of Saskatchewan news release on Nov. 10, 2023, named the Cudworth Childcare Centre as one of 51 facilities to receive funding through a joint investment between the Governments of Saskatchewan and Canada. As of September 2024, the costs for the building acquisition were paid in full. A newsletter from the Centre’s board dated November 2024 states an estimated total project cost of $664,255.37, barring complications. Funding in hand received from grants, sponsorships, donations and fundraisers, as of the date of the newsletter, was $418,998. An estimated $147,200 in grant funding was still expected, leaving less than $100,000 left to raise.
Current board members include Ashley Pfeiffer, Jaime Kolla, Alyssa Vandyken, Kelsey van der Gracht, Janelle Koenning, Larissa Reaser, Tyra van der Gracht, Taylor Medernach, and Kristy Hauber. Some of the original board members have moved on, and new ones have taken their place, but the group continues to work diligently to raise funds and get the doors open. They have held various fundraisers since the fall of 2022, including a mock wedding, cash lotto, scrap metal collection, a pizza fundraiser, barbecues, cabarets, and a Kaiser tournament, to name but a few.
The building’s only hint at its former mission is the external shape and its location next to the cemetery. Inside renovations leave little doubt that its new chapter is very different indeed. Some staff are already hired, but more are needed, including Level 1, 2 and 3 Early Childhood Educators for full-time, part-time and casual positions. Resumes can be submitted to [email protected]
