The new Baldur Early Learning Centre building will soon be open.
The initial walk through of the new building that was reported in the October 10th edition was exciting for everyone in attendance, with associates from both Pretium Projects and JQ Built admitting this had been one of the best builds they had completed to date, loving everything about the town and the people in it.
Did you know that the new Baldur Early Learning Centre building is a ‘Daycare in a Box’, a project that has been recognized by the Project Management Institute (PMI) Manitoba as the 2024 PMI Project of the Year.
“In April 2024, The Province of Manitoba – Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC), was recognized for the ‘Daycare-in-a-Box’ project by Project Management Institute Manitoba as the 2024 PMI Project of the Year. The PMI Project of the Year award is the highest recognition in the Province of Manitoba for excellence and superior performance in Project Management granted by PMI Manitoba.”
The Daycare in a Box concept was born of need.
In 2021, the Manitoba Government committed to create a total of 23,000 new full time, regulated child care spaces by March of 2026. To achieve this, the construction of multiple new daycares would need to be scheduled in a variety of areas around Manitoba.
These spaces are needed ASAP, but the daycare spaces equate to a very large number of buildings to be constructed on a very tight timeline. Was this realistic to even consider?
Enter JohnQ Public, an innovative company that creates solutions.
In 2022, JohnQ Public created JQ Built with the specific goal to, “test a new and practical approach for delivering community infrastructure.”
Through JQ Built, the group developed a model it calls ‘Daycare in a Box’ to develop a process and project management system that could deliver new child care infrastructure across the province. JQ Built partnered with Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care.
JQ Built prides itself on working in collaboration with Early Learning and Child Care experts, municipal planners, architects, builders and partners like Efficiency Manitoba on the plan for one outstanding facility, and replicating that success. These state-of-the-art child care facilities have been built on time.
The ‘Daycare in a Box’ concept has proven to be even better than anyone could have expected.
Using the same design and construction method for each of the new daycares being built eliminates confusion and unknowns that can arise with custom builds.
In Baldur, we were able to watch first hand the start-to-finish build of our exquisite new daycare facility and it was seamless.
From the installation of the safety fence barrier to the unrolling of the sod, Pretium Project employees worked diligently and in tandem with JQ Built employees. When the ‘Daycare in a Box’ arrived at the prepared site it was completely put together in mere days, not months.
With the walls up and the roof on, the interior work began, with everything quickly coming together.
With this innovative ‘Daycare in a Box’ concept, the quality built daycare facilities that will allow for the increased number of full-time and regulated child care spaces promised can be delivered on site and on time.
This is a definite win for all of Manitoba!
Caption: Members of the Baldur Early Learning Centre Committee, RM of Argyle Council and staff along with representatives from the builders JQ Built and Pretium Projects were on hand when the building was officially turned over following completion of the contruction phase of the project. Now the tasks turn from construction related to the finer details to get the building ready for the staff and wee clients that cannot wait to get in the new building. PHOTO BY SUZANNE PADDOCK
