Minister Carola Schouten (right) and Commissioner Rolando Wilson performed the ground-breaking on May 9.
SABA--Construction of prefab housing units at Laura Linzey Day Care centre is going according to schedule. The prefab housing, which will serve as a temporary provision until the new permanent location for childcare is constructed in The Bottom, is scheduled to be ready this summer.
The 18 prefab units are being placed in an L-shape, and will include three large classrooms, two kitchenettes, staff and children’s bathrooms and office space for management. The 20-foot prefab units are fully equipped and hurricane-resistant. The units are being installed by contractor Work Monster in the backyard of the current day-care location at the former Governor’s House in The Bottom.
There will be room for all day-care children, including the pre-school group now housed elsewhere, in the new, spacious prefab units. Once the prefab units are ready for use this summer, the pre-school group will be reunited with the other day-care children and the current location of the pre-school group in the rectory of the Anglican Church in The Bottom will be closed.
Only the babies, the administration office space, staff room, staff training room, storage and covered porch (eating area) will remain in the former Governor’s House. The outside porch will be reopened and the temporary classrooms that are now located on the porch will be removed. This will create more space.
The prefab units are large, providing room for growth, which means that the number of children can increase. With the installation of the prefab units, the day-care housing will meet all requirements of the Basic Island Ordinance on Childcare in Saba.
The basic construction of the prefab units is almost completed.
“It will provide the quality that we need. We are very content with the openness, light and space that the new temporary housing will offer,” said Laura Linzey Day Care centre’s manager Tessa Alexander. She said this would be a very adequate temporary housing until the new building is constructed in The Bottom.
The project, which is funded by the BES(t)4Kids programme, will include a new playground for the younger and older children.
A brief, informal ground-breaking ceremony was held Monday, May 9, in the presence of Dutch Minister of Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions Carola Schouten and Commissioner of Social Affairs Rolando Wilson. Minister Schouten said she was “very impressed” by the professionalism of day care in Saba and the commitment of the day-care employees.
“Many families make fulltime use of day care. Day care truly provided children a warm home. That is very valuable for the children, but also for the parents, who because of this care, have the possibility to work. I wholeheartedly support the further professionalising of childcare, but compliments for the hard work that is already being done are very merited,” said Minister Schouten in an invited comment.
Commissioner Wilson specifically thanked BES(t)4Kids for funding this project and complimented day-care management, project coordinator Esther van Woudenberg, the Planning Bureau and Work Monster for their involvement.
