Karate tots will be kicking open the doors at the soon-to-be opened Mary’s Place daycare in Saanich.
The daycare is part of the new Rosalie’s Village development going in next to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul office at 4351 West Saanich Rd.
The idea behind Rosalie’s is to provide a subsidized housing facility for single mothers with children under five years old. Mary’s Place is going in next to Rosalie’s to provide care for the children.
With St. Vincent de Paul’s current tenant of Kenzen Sports Karate already in the existing 2,500-square foot space, it only made sense that the preschool-aged children at Mary’s Place attend class during the week, said Kenzen club coach Richard Mosdell.
“The purpose of the class is the Active Start stage of karate, for kids to learn fundamental movements and link them to play,” Mosdell said.
The benefits are physical literacy improvement, skill development and working well with others, all through the kids trying a constant flow of fun exercises. The range of fitness developed will benefit the children in other sports too.
Perhaps the biggest key is that Kenzen is a recognized club by Sport B.C. and therefore the Rosalie’s children who attend will be eligible for provincial grants.
Angela Hudson, the executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Vancouver Island, liked Kenzen owner Craig Devlin and coach Mosdell from the start, as both were raised by single mothers.
“We were happy when we found Kenzen because we were looking for a tenant that had a social conscience,” Hudson said. “Karate is a go-to support that helped them in their career and life, and something they can share.”