How This Fredericton Childcare Business Opened and Adapted During Covid-19
FREDERICTON – In October 2019 two moms began to turn an empty space into their dream daycare.
But only months after opening their doors, the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020 forced them to reconsider.
The goal was to set up a childcare business called EnrichKids, which is based on interactive learning.
“We realized none of the afterschool programs really fulfilled the needs we wanted for our children,” said co-owner and mother, Christina Foster. Her business partner Hannah Williams, who previously ran a child’s yoga studio, is the mother of a 5-year-old.
Instead of just keeping kids busy, they wanted the children to get something out of their time together. When building each program, Foster asked: “Is it mindful? Is it meaningful?”
They outlined pillars of arts and culture, health and wellness, social and emotional learning, and community involvement.
“Bringing things to life for them,” said Foster. “That’s always been our philosophy.”
In addition to after-school programs, they planned to offer recreational services like birthday parties and summer camps. However, the day after their first camp ended in March, the province went into lockdown, forcing all non-essential businesses to close.
“We had no idea at the time the severity of the pandemic,” Foster recalls. Like many people, they thought they would be back in business in a few weeks.
When the lockdown persisted, Foster and Williams had to sit down and make a decision: should they close before they had ever really opened?
“We didn’t know what to do,” said Foster.
Because they were such a new business, they didn’t qualify for the same financial relief that others did. With support from their landlord, they held out until restrictions loosened.
After getting their afterschool license they reopened under reduced capacity. Over the summer they ran camps like “We Will Rock You”, a program that combines geology and music, and “Jr. Astronauts”, a space camp where kids got to meet a Canadian astronaut over zoom.
“We were so limited, we couldn’t do field trips, we couldn’t have in-person guest speakers,” Foster said. “But our whole philosophy is: what can we do?”
At first, regulations did not allow sensory bins or mud kitchens, which are some of the go-to activities of child care. To get past this setback, they made individual stations that were expensive but worth the cost.
Foster thought, “Let’s give these kids some form of normalcy during this time.”
They took advantage of indoor and outdoor space: gardening, doing yoga, cooking, and crafting.
“It’s not a time-waster,” said Foster. “If we can give them something valuable for their time here, they thrive in that situation.”
These activities are exciting for the staff too, which started small but has grown in the fall.
With a limited clientele before the pandemic, Foster was nervous about gaining community support. However, the EnrichKids team was met with open arms. They were pleased to see parents return and recommend their friends.
“They feel like family now.”
In a business built on reputation, Foster knew it was important for people to experience the programs for themselves. When they sold out their first camp this summer they celebrated.
“Ok, we’re doing something right,” Foster recalls thinking. “You are proving your concept.”
Their goal for the new year is to offer all programs and services at full capacity. Their March summer camp, which focuses on celebrations around the world, is already starting to fill.
“We’re not out of the woods but we definitely see the light at the end,” said Foster.