OXBOW - The Expressway Family Centre in Oxbow re-opened its doors just in time for fall programming.
After a busy summer of renovations, they celebrated their move to a new, bigger and better permanent location together with their patrons and the community on Aug. 24.
Anne Morrow, Expressway Family Centre president, said that after several moves and a few years of being in smaller places, the board was happy to find a new home, which was also a separate standing building on Main Street. They got possession of the building, which used to be a house, at the end of April, and from then until the grand re-opening, they were renovating the place to make it work for the family centre's needs.
"We basically redid every room in the building except the kitchen for the most part. We upgraded the electrical, which was a huge financial undertaking. We took out the tub that was in the washroom to make room for a changing table for moms that bring their littles. We took out a wall between two bedrooms to make our classroom larger. We redid the flooring throughout. And in our main play area, we took another wall out there to open the entryway and have more space for play," Morrow said.
Outside structural renovations, the centre also put a lot of work into developing the play and learning areas for their patrons.
"The really exciting room that we've put into place is the sensory room. We had Ane Warnich come in and do some artwork for us, so the wall is covered in all sorts of tactile things that the kids can touch and play with. And we put up a small jungle gym in the sensory room with a Tarzan-type rope and some monkey bars. It's quite neat for our super active kids that need an energy outlet," Morrow shared.
The centre's main demographic is ages zero to five, but they offer different kinds of events for other age categories as well. For their main patrons, they have a pre-K program on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-3 p.m., and a drop-in program, which is free and takes place Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30-11:30 a.m.
"Our doors are open those days for patrons, and then we have lots of sign-up programs in afternoons and evenings that you'll find on [the Expressway Family Centre] Facebook page or in our three months calendar that can be picked up at the centre as well," Morrow said.
For the drop-in program, the centre invites guest speakers, offers different crafts, helps kids learn about different arts and, of course, lets patrons play in their sensory room. The pre-K program will mainly take place in the classroom at the centre, but kids will also have opportunities to have fun with all the new equipment.
The programming is set to start after the Labour Day long weekend. People can register through their Facebook page.
Mackenzie Valentine, interim program co-ordinator/preschool teacher with the centre, said the new building will allow for more activities for their patrons.
"We've knocked down a wall to make one big classroom, so we'll have lots of room for them this year," Valentine said.
Now that they have the space, they will also be able to host bigger events for a broader audience.
"In September, we're doing a Collage Night [for all ages], and in October, we're doing a Bread Class [for adults only]," Valentine said, adding that now they are able to offer programming for all age groups from newborns to adults.
The centre also hopes to run a Halloween Spooktacular event the weekend before Halloween.
The day of the re-opening included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, cake and refreshments, tours of the place, as well as indoor crafts and outdoor games for the kids. The centre also unveiled their new sign, which was created with the help of the community earlier in the year. People were invited to send in their designs, and one would get chosen as the new logo. Reid Barnes, son of the centre's program co-ordinator Stephanie Barnes, designed the winning sign with his mother.
"We had a logo, and we revamped it this year. We had a contest back in April and May to submit ideas. And then we did a silent vote on which one we liked the best. So now we have a new logo," Morrow shared.
The new location also has a backyard space, which they hope to develop more for the next summer.
"An outdoor space for patrons will be awesome," Morrow said.
Renovating the new location for the not-for-profit, which operates on grants and fundraising, became possible thanks to many volunteers, mainly board members and their spouses. Stephanie's husband Dylan Barnes was a "huge asset", Morrow said.
"He just knows how important the organization is to the community, so he did a ton of work for us."
Valentine added that many people donated needed items to the centre. And they had some professional help with renovations where it was required.
The Expressway Family Centre is now located at 408 Main Street in Oxbow, and in November it will celebrate 22 years in operation.
