About Us
Our mission is to be the joyful, nurturing environment that inspires a child's life long journey of growth and discovery.
Our Philosophy
The Legacy Children’s Centre exists to be a key support for all aspects of a child’s development;
emotional, physical, intellectual, social, and spiritual. We believe that creating an environment
where children experience safety and love is key to the development of a healthy sense of self and
the ability to have productive interactions with others and the world around them. Language,
literacy, and problem solving skills are born during this early phase of life, so we incorporate
developmentally appropriate surroundings that encourage intentional play, exploration, discovery,
choice, and creativity. We actively facilitate child-initiated and adult-guided interactions in order to
help children to thrive as confident learners. And, we welcome all children and look to their families
and caregivers as partners in building a strong, nurturing foundation that will encourage their
precious young ones to thrive.
Our Values
1. We value children as a sacred trust from God and work to provide a welcoming, nurturing place where they can thrive in an atmosphere of love and acceptance.
2. We value the gifts and strengths of each child and strive to help them to discover, develop, and celebrate their unique potential.
3. We value the whole person and believe that a child’s growth is best encouraged when all of their developmental needs - cognitive, physical, social, spiritual and emotional – are kept in focus.
4. We value relationships and work in partnership with parents and caregivers in the nurture and care of their children.
5. We value community and work to build and maintain strong connections with our neighbours.
6. We value peacemaking and strive to resolve differences calmly, taking a listening approach where feelings are valued.
7. We value creation care and seek to honour our Creator in all of our interactions with the environment around us.
8. We value the Bible as our source of truth and guidance.
Our Story
In 2017, Heartland Community Church asked Marilyn Plett to be part of a committee to research the feasability of setting up a licenced daycare in the church. Heartland wanted to find a way to support the broader community of Landmark and the idea of a daycare resonated with the congregation.
Over many years, Marilyn and her husband, Lloyd Plett, had been very involved in the community of Landmark. Marilyn had been a school trustee for 12 years and, prior to that, on the Landmark Parent Teacher Association for many years. Together, Marilyn and Lloyd were involved in the Landmark Recreation Association in a variety of ways. They organized the 50th anniversary of Landmark Collegiate as well as several EMC national conventions. Marilyn and Lloyd were also founding members of Heartland Community Church. Whenever there was an event or project that needed organizing, Marilyn and Lloyd seemed to be at the centre of it. They both loved to use their skills and abilities to serve the broader community of Landmark.
With this history, to no one’s surprise, Marilyn soon became the leader of the daycare exploratory team at Heartland Community Church. Very quickly, it was determined that Landmark really needed a daycare, but there would be a lot of work needed to get the exisiting church building renovated to meet the regulations of a licensed daycare centre. Marilyn and her team worked closely with church leadership, members of the Rural Municipality of Tache and with provincial early learning directors to start to address these requirements, however, it was clear this would be a long term undertaking.
Then, on December 31, 2018, while in Florida for a family vacation, Marilyn was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. All plans for the daycare were put on hold.
In light of Marilyn’s prognosis, Marilyn and her family began to talk about the meaning of leaving a legacy. Because of her history of involvement in Landmark, Marilyn and her family decided that they would make a donation to the community of Landmark in Marilyn’s name as part of her legacy.
In consultation with their children, Marilyn and Lloyd decided that the work of creating a daycare for Landmark should continue. In early April 2019, members of the Plett family met with members of Heartland Community Church and NDL Construction to talk about partnering to build a stand alone daycare centre on Heartland property. Marilyn’s family would provide the start up donation, Heartland Community Church would provide the land, NDL would commit to following the project through and the Plett family would join a planning team who would apply for a provincial government grant, and work to get the daycare up and running. The plan was accepted and, in a subsequent family meeting, one of Marilyn’s grandchilden suggested that the daycare’s name should be “Legacy”.
On April 10, 2019, Marilyn Plett, with Lloyd and her children by her side, entered heaven to be with Jesus.
Marilyn would be so proud of her family, her church community and the people and businesses of Landmark for making this daycare a reality. There have been so many generous donations from local businesses, many friends, and extended family members! And there has been a team of dedicated people who have worked to create Legacy Children’s Centre. As we open this daycare we are reminded of Marilyn’s commitment of serving others and our hope is that Legacy Children’s Centre lives up to that example.