The Child Development Centre (CDC) has come a long way from its modest start in a trailer behind a local school in 1979.

On Wednesday, staff hosted an open house to celebrate its new building at 206 Hanson St., the refurbished former premises of Peacock Sales and Media Solutions.

In July 2021, the CDC had to vacate its decades-old space attached to the Department of Education building at 1000 Lewes Blvd. because mould had been discovered in the section it occupied.

Since that time, the centre has operated out of several temporary locations throughout Whitehorse, which presented complications for staff, the children and their families.

The new location was renovated to meet the needs of everyone. Employees moved into the building at the end of August.

The new premises include ample rooms for staff to see children and families. There is also a therapeutic physiotherapy gym, a large conference room, and a therapeutic preschool with an outdoor play area on the adjacent deck.

The outdoor play area was made possible due to a donation of $25,000 from Casino Mining and $15,000 from the Whitehorse Firefighters Charitable Society.

The CDC received funding of over $2.6 million from the Yukon government for the renovations and furniture for the new building.

The Departments of Education and Highways and Public Works provided significant support throughout the many moves.

“We are very excited to be in our new building,” said Alayne Squair, the CDC’s executive director.

“It is great to have a location that is accessible and has the space to offer all of our programs and services under one roof.

“It has been a difficult few years as we navigated providing services out of multiple locations and moving a total of five times.

“We are very grateful for the financial support from the Government of Yukon, and the local businesses and organizations which have provided financial support by ‘adopting’ rooms in our centre,” Squair added.

Parent Krystal Sofko, a member of the CDC’s Family Partnership Council, said the centre “has been a constant in my family’s life for the last eight years.

“Even through the difficult last few years with COVID and moving to multiple different locations, our CDC team has been there through every hurdle and every question we had.

“With the completion of this new home for the CDC, I know current and new families will be able to find the support and warmth my family has felt,” Sofko said.

The centre’s therapists travel to all Yukon communities and provide services to more than 1,100 children and families a year.

“We know how important the Child Development Centre’s location in Whitehorse is to providing services to not only those living in the capital, but all Yukon families and children, who benefit from therapies, programs and other supports,” said Education Minister Jeanie McLean.

“We take great pride in offering both administrative and financial assistance to the CDC, helping them to maintain their excellent child-centric programs within a beautiful and comforting new space.”

The non-profit CDC provides therapeutic supports such as speech-language therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, developmental therapy and psychology to children from birth to kindergarten entry.

Services are free and confidential.

Referrals do not need to be made by a physician.

Parents and caregivers can make a referral themselves at https://cdcyukon.ca/referral or by calling 456-8182.