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It’s clear from the smile on Meagan Fincham’s face when she interacts with children that she loves her role as a daycare provider in the Magnetawan region.
However, Fincham is just one person operating an at-home daycare service and currently has a wait-list of approximately 30 kids in need of services.
“I opened up my in-home daycare where I have six kids, which is the capacity,” Fincham said of moving back home to Magnetawan to open a daycare for those in need. “Within the first year, I had 15 kids on my wait-list and it kept growing.”
Seeing the need, Fincham plans to open a daycare centre called “Magnetawan DayCare Centre” and has registered it as a non-profit organization and is currently working with the Ministry of Education.
“Not-for-profit has always made sense to me in terms of daycare,” she said, because not having daycare isn’t an option for most people who need two incomes to get by financially.
“It’s a necessity for life. It’s a necessity for economics in a town,” she added.
In her research, Fincham said Magnetawan has had a huge growth, which echoes 2021 statistics, and between 2016 and 2020, the municipality has seen a 26.1 per cent population increase.
“That includes 105 new families,” she said, adding that a survey she has put out into the community confirms that need. “Opening a daycare centre would allow me to have staff. That way, more kids in the community can get care without people needing to do in-home daycares.”