'We were all part of the same community'
On October 3 — 25 years after opening its doors to 12 of Concordia’s tiniest students — Les P’tits Profs daycare is celebrating its silver anniversary with a reunion.
From its Notre-Dame-de-Grâce location, a former residence on the Loyola Campus, Les P’tits Profs caters to children of university staff, faculty and students. It’s one of the university’s two daycares; the other is Centre de la Petite Enfance Concordia on the Sir George Williams Campus.
Since Les P’tits Profs began in 1988, it’s now five directors, a change of address and hundreds of 3-month-to-5-year-olds into its reign. With bilingual, government-subsidized care and an admirable child-to-educator ratio, the centre has come a long way: parents wait up to two years to win a spot.
“It’s a loving, wonderful place,” says Louise Lalonde, a communications and marketing officer at the Institute for Co-operative Education.
In 1989, she visited a number of daycares before enrolling her 4-month-old son Nicholas at Les P’tits Profs. At 24, Nicholas is now an independent student at Concordia, taking a mix of urban studies and business courses.
Beyond crediting the daycare (known in Quebec as a CPE, a centre de la petite enfance) for her child’s excellent preschool education, Lalonde is indebted to Les P’tits Profs for helping her land her first job at the university.
At pick-up time one day, Lalonde happened to notice a job posting on the centre’s bulletin board. “The post was for a secretarial job in the MBA program. I applied for it, and I’ve been at Concordia for more than 20 years now!”
Department of Communications Studies Coordinator Sheelah O’Neill has equally fond recollections of Les P’tits Profs. Her two sons, David and John, were among the daycare’s very first students.
“I had a chance to watch the centre grow,” said O’Neill. “It’s just amazing. The staff is really genuine, kind and caring.” David, now 30, became a chef, while 28-year-old Concordia communications studies major John works at the Montreal Gazette.
Les P’tits Profs’ pedagogical consultant Vikki Nuddo joined the centre in 1992, as an educator. She is eagerly anticipating the 25-year festivities, which will include food, music and children’s entertainment.
Nuddo sees the celebration as a chance to reconnect with former students, parents and educators. “I’m touched by the number of people who’ve confirmed their attendance. This validates to all of us how special the CPE is,” she says. “It’s so rewarding to have touched so many lives in such a meaningful way.”
For Les P’tits Profs alumna Jessy Bokser, 17, who attended alongside her brother Rory, the centre evokes memories of carefree days in the playground, laughing and playing tag.
“I always had a great time,” says the student at Montreal’s Dawson College. She remains friends with many of her P’tits Profs playmates.
Jessy’s father, Howard Bokser — publications manager at University Communications Services — recalls the particular bond forged among Les P’tits Profs parents.
“We really felt like a community,” he says. “Being part of the university daycare allowed us to maintain relationships and friendships even after the daycare years.”
What: CPE Les P'tits Profs 25th Anniversary Celebration
When: Thursday, October 3, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre on Loyola Campus, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W.