Rhodes stresses importance of new daycare, fundraising to Moosomin Chamber members
May 25, 2026, 10:18 am
Kara Kinna
At the Moosomin Chamber of Commerce meeting on Tuesday, Danielle Rhodes with Playfair Daycare gave an update on fundraising for the new 90-spot daycare under construction in Moosomin, and Darren Swanson with Rococo Construction, the general contractor for the project, gave an update on the construction.
The new daycare is in addition to the existing Playfair Daycare building, and once complete will mean Moosomin has 162 daycare spots. The project has been in the works since 2023 when it was announced that Playfair Daycare was approved for a new building with 90 new spots and received more than $1 million from the provincial government for construction costs.
The daycare is aiming to raise a total of $4.4 million to cover the cost of the project, and to date have just under $1.9 million, including $1 million from the provincial government.
The new building is 12,000 square feet, and will employ between 25 and 30 staff when opened. It is located on Gertie Street just south of MacLeod Elementary School.
Rhodes stressed the importance of the daycare to the community and said it was important that businesses and donors get behind the project.
“We’re so excited about having this new daycare open for our community, as it’s sorely needed,” she said. “Some people are wondering where we’re at with the construction, and we’re confident that we’re still opening in Q1 in 2027 just to ensure that we have everything that we need in place, including staffing and internal infrastructure to open for the daycare.
“How many folks here buy groceries locally? How many folks use the local pharmacies? How many folks use our hospital services, such as our lab and our x-ray?” she asked Chamber members who gave a show of hands.
“Could you imagine not being able to have those services or go to the grocery store because those people that work there cannot get child care? We’re a community of growth. We’re a community that takes pride in that, and we are growing at an exponential rate.
“Currently our old building is funded for 71 spots. Our new building is funded for 90 spots. We have 106 families on our wait list, and we have 130 children waiting, so that’s significant already. Our new building, once it opens in Q1 of 2027, will be full.
“With that being said, I’m sure some of you have read the World-Spectator and the article that came out that outlined the funding changes to how the daycare structure and system works in Saskatchewan.
“Our daycare is open 12 hours a day, so the government is funding us for 10 hours a day. Of those 12 hours, we used to be able to spot share, so for example, families per child pay $217 a month, and we have 71 funded spots. We were able to essentially top ourselves up to keep that funding structure going for us, but with the new changes that are in place, we are no longer able to top ourselves up. It’s a reality that we’re facing. I feel it’s important for all of us as business owners and community members to be aware of these changes, because our daycare is a critical artery to our community, and without that critical artery, we cannot continue to grow.
“We have to date raised just under $1.9 million. Our total budget is approximately $4.4 million. So we do have a shortfall where we need to fill that gap, and we are looking at every possible avenue for fundraising for this daycare, because it is imperative. We cannot function as a community without it.
“However, we need your help, however that looks, however you can help, whether it’s suggestions on events, or if your businesses are able to give to help support us.
“We are looking at every and all options, because without this daycare, we cannot function.”
Rococo Construction’s Darren Swanson, the general contractor for the project, spoke about the construction progress on the project.
“We’ve enjoyed not a bad winter, we’ve enjoyed some excellent co-operation from a number of local trades, and we are moving a little bit ahead of schedule, and from our perspective, we’re trying to get out of there as soon as we can, just so it doesn’t cost us more. Right now I think we’re going to be out of there for sure by the end of July, if not sooner.
“It’s been a really nice project for us, it’s right in our wheelhouse, just a little larger than some others we’ve done recently. When I talk about co-operation with local trades, I don’t want to underplay that at all. Keith Margetts and Gee Bee Construction, Jeannot Electric, the Co-op lumberyard, and Hogarth Lawn and Garden have really done a nice job of serving us on this project. It’s been a good group of locals, and it’s moved things along really quick.
“It’s worthwhile stating that the process that was followed in getting the design done here was very valuable to the committee and to the community, probably one you might want to look at emulating down the road. Instead of hiring an architect, they got a couple of local experts to sit on the committee while the design was being done to make sure they pointed them in the right direction, or make sure they didn’t go too far off what makes sense for Moosomin, and I would say that probably saved your community half a million to a million dollars quite easily.
“Travis Holmstrom and Jay Hamilton are the two that I’m speaking of. They were on the committee during the design process with a Regina architectural firm, and there’s no doubt in my mind it’s a fair chunk of money and time that they have contributed and saved.”
“They have donated countless hours of their time to ensure that this project has gone off without a hitch and ensure that every step of the way there’s been transparency,” added Rhodes.
“I don’t want to put a negative damper on the fact that we have a big gap to close right now, but I just want to be transparent with you. I feel in this day and age we have a problem of not being transparent with one another and sugar coating things and being soft and fluffy, and I’m honestly tired of soft and fluffy. I’d rather be transparent with you today, and we do have a ways to go (for fundraising).
“When you look at that building, it is an investment. It could potentially be around for another 100 years, 120 years, whereas we could have gone cheaper routes, such as an RTM building, where it might have cost us $800,000 or maybe a million. However, you’re looking at replacing that building within 50 years easily. It could be 40, because they deteriorate and they’re hard to maintain. It’s not a permanent solution, whereas this is a permanent solution and something we should invest in.”
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