Chill-out children after school at Toddle Inn

From left to right:
Front row – Charlotte, Alyssa, William, Elizabeth
Second row – Zoe, Molly, Connor
Third row – Montana, Jason, Lara, Eliza, Jack
Back row – Tom, William, Julie (educator), Lachlan, Hugh, Clare (educator), Lexy, Erin (educator).
Photo supplied

KIDS AT Toddle Inn can relax with music or a good book in a chill out chair, courtesy of the Apex Club of Deloraine.

According to Toddle Inn director Julie Purdon, after the childcare centre took on after- school care, demand was so high that the centre needed more space and extra furniture.

‘We completed our new room in September and Apex donated $2500 for furnishings’, Ms Purdon said.

‘So we have chill out chairs, along with a new rug, a table and chairs and a flat-screen TV, available only for limited screen-time.’

Ms Purdon is rightly proud of the Deloraine-owned, not-for-profit centre.

This year, the Toddle Inn is 20 years old, having developed from a house to a playgroup to a childcare centre.

It is a 36-place centre but with after-school care that number jumps to 50 children.

A 12-seater bus takes two runs an afternoon to collect children from Deloraine and Our Lady of Mercy Primary Schools.

Ms Purdon is proud that the centre used its own savings to convert the verandah into the extra space needed, without a government grant in sight.

‘We were fortunate we didn’t have a huge turn down during COVID and were eligible for Jobkeeper’, she said.

“We used the new room for the first time for holiday care during the September school holidays. The extra room gives the centre more all-day space and we’re very grateful to Apex for their donation.’