It’s said that it takes a village to raise a child, and in just one year of operation, Summit Start Cityscape has become a cornerstone of that village. As part of the revolutionary Summit Kids childcare organization that consists of 19 before-and-after school centres, three daycares and a huge summer camp, Summit Start Cityscape provides the solution for families seeking flexible educational daycare services that focus on the development of the whole child. It is the first 24/7 daycare in the Summit portfolio with 187 spaces in each of the day, evening and overnight shifts for children six months to six years old. Offering childcare solutions to shiftworkers has been a game changer for families and employers in Calgary’s rapidly growing northeast.
“Everybody would love to work that Monday to Friday 9:00 to 5:00, but that’s just not the world that we live in anymore so to have daycares that only offer coverage for that time seems not only elitist but out of tune with where the workforce is today. We wanted to make sure that we adapted what we were doing to meet that growing need,” says Nancy E. Klensch, founder and CEO of Summit Kids.
Businesses like Amazon and the airport struggle to recruit and retain staff in part due to childcare challenges, and having high-quality childcare available for extended hours makes evening, overnight and weekend shifts feasible. This flexibility eliminates the chaos and instability of late-night drop-offs or pick-ups at babysitters in order to work a shift, allowing children to sleep in a familiar place where they are comfortable and happy. The burden is further lightened by Affordability Grants that have made childcare more accessible.
“There are five communities that we draw from in this area, and they are getting a unique offering for childcare that will address most of their needs so they can go to work and not have any guilt in doing so and not worry about that little one that is back with Summit,” says Tyler Alton, Summit Kids co-owner and chief operating officer.
They are in great hands at Summit Start Cityscape, where every whimsical and practical detail is intentional and purposeful. From the moment families arrive they know it is not a typical operation.
“I wanted it to be child centric. From the time you walk in, it’s about how a child sees the space. We designed a lot of things down low, like mirrors and portholes that they can peek into, and we wanted it to be entertaining and not just a long hallway that they have to shuffle down every day,” says Klensch.
Colour-coded paths on the floor lead children to cloak rooms outside their rooms and they’re greeted by colour and art at every turn. Each room has a name not an age, and children graduate to the next room according to their abilities. The team understands that kids develop at different rates and they are encouraged to learn and grow at their own pace and on their own terms so they feel successful.
They start in Libby Room, where babies up to 18 months old are introduced to songs and sensory play, and then move to Griffin Room, where toddlers take part in engaging, active play and movement with a gigantic peg board as the main attraction. Parker Room is the next step for preschool children who explore language, literacy, numeracy and art before the last stop in Alex Room, where kindergarten-level learning ensures children are ready for traditional school.
Outside, a multi-themed playground provides opportunities to explore, climb, slide and play, and for those cold or smoky days, Cityscape has an indoor gross motor area with lots of things to climb over and crawl under to ensure kids are still physical every day.
“Physical literacy is one of the big pillars, and this gross motor area has different heights and an undulating floor because the world’s not flat so children need to learn to navigate,” says Alton. “A lot of our design cues were focused on giving those opportunities to children, and then our programming is based on how do we do that? How do we meet our children where they are at?”
At every level, Summit’s holistic learning approach caters to the children’s cognitive, emotional, physical and social needs through creativity, self-expression and play in a safe environment. Little minds and bodies need good food to learn and grow too, and Cityscape’s Red Seal chef delivers with scratch-made meals and snacks that respect kids’ dietary restrictions while exposing them to new nutritious foods that they’d likely never try at home.
“Our chef and his team are challenged with making it fun, having colour, and when they plate something it’s entertaining, with different shapes and sizes,” says Alton.
This delicious food fuels kids for their unique curricula, which varies depending on location as the staff’s hobbies and interests inform the programming to keep both sides of the interaction engaged and excited. The programming doesn’t allow screens or devices, leaving it up to parents to decide the content and time limits of screens at home. The team is also screen-free when interacting with their charges and can retreat to the dedicated staff areas for breaks to stay connected with their own families.
This is not a problem for Summit’s fantastic group of educators. While provincial certification in childcare is required to work there, the majority of the 250-person staff is university or college educated and deeply invested in Klensch’s vision. She makes sure her staff are as engaged as the kids and strives to offer advancement opportunities to keep her team strong. Working at Summit goes beyond a paycheque; it’s a profession and they are very skilled at what they do and believe in the vast potential that comes with positive experiences during kids’ formative years.
“We may not be changing the world but hopefully we’ll inspire someone who does,” says Nancy Klensch, and she’s honoured to have Summit Kids and its latest addition, Summit Start Cityscape, as part of the village that helps raise incredible people.