Inside Perley Health's new daycare: how 39 kids are changing life for 600 seniors

Retired Major Doug Bird walks the corridors of Perley Health on Russell Road multiple times a day now. At 80 years old, he has always sought changes of scenery. But something shifted last week when 39 children moved into a brand-new daycare space inside the sprawling long-term care home.

"I get so happy every time I come here," Bird said, standing inside the daycare. The picture windows that line the facility face directly onto a busy hallway where residents pass throughout the day. They stop to smile and wave at the children inside. The children wave back, their faces pressed to the glass in wonder.

Bird lives in the veterans' wing of Perley Health, one of Ontario's largest care homes, which houses more than 600 seniors and veterans in long-term care and independent apartments. For years, he didn't get many visitors. "It makes me feel like I have a family here," Bird said. "There's little ones running around that I can relate to. It makes me feel good." Every other resident he speaks to about it reports the same reaction.

The daycare, operated by Andrew Fleck Children's Services, is the first purpose-built intergenerational childcare centre in Canada. The space was designed intentionally around the idea that daily intergenerational relationships should be woven into the lives of both the children and the residents. Current enrollment stands at 10 infants, 15 toddlers, and 24 preschoolers, with capacity for 10 more.

Tina McLean, a program co-ordinator with Andrew Fleck, said the partnership between the two organizations went deeper than most. "The partnership is what's truly unique," McLean said. "We're collaborating to the highest level."

All long-term care and independent living residents at Perley are welcome to participate in planned programming: storytelling, gardening, crafts, and exercise classes. The daycare children will also take part in some of those resident activities, their schedules intentionally intertwined as much as possible.

The partnership has also become a research opportunity. Perley Health will study the benefits and potential negative effects on older adults, while Andrew Fleck Centre researchers are examining impacts on the children. A growing body of evidence already points to gains from intergenerational programming. For seniors, having children around can reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. For children, being around older adults can increase feelings of empathy and reduce fear and ageism.

Bird said one concern used to linger in his mind: the worry of younger people looking at him. Now, seeing children pass by his window every day has shifted something. "Some little ones might get intimidated by older ones who aren't their grandparents," Bird reflected. "By having the familiarity of seeing seniors every day, it comforts them."

Perley Health's intergenerational daycare opened as part of a broader reimagining of what care homes can be — not just places where people age, but communities where generations meet and change each other.