The Rielly Roost had three winning ingredients from the start—it was born from a clear community need, it’s a business that serves a foundational role in the economy, and the owner had a genuine passion for the work.
The area around Witless Bay, Newfoundland had historically been underserved for childcare. Some parents would have to drive 35 minutes to St. John’s and then back again, twice a day, just to bring their child to a daycare. They’d sometimes have to drive the other direction to then go to work. The daycares closer by would fill up fast and had long wait lists.
“I put my daughter on the list for the nearest childcare centre when I was eight weeks pregnant,” Fran O’Rielly said. “And when she turned three years-old, she still didn’t have a space.”
Fran subsequently established Rielly Roost, which has grown to include a daycare, an after-school program, a music school, and community rental space. The venture began when a lack of suitable childcare prevented her from returning to work. In response, she and her husband, Regan, opened a day home in their residence, caring for several local children alongside their own.
Fran always thought she would enjoy childcare, but for one reason or another decided against it.
“Once I started doing it, I loved it” she said. “I was like, ‘this is what I want to do.’ This is for me.”
She continued running her day home for years, until her kids started going to school. She wanted to continue, but now she wanted to be able to include kids after school as well. They decided to expand and open a full daycare.
“I loved my day home, and I wanted to bring as much of it as I could to centre base, so that I could just reach more people and give back more.” Fran said. “And I’d like to do more, if I could.”
Fran and Regan had already gone to their local Community Business Development Corporation—CBDC Celtic—to start the day home and thought they would bring the idea to them again. Just like the first time, they were met with enthusiasm and encouragement.
“I just figured there’s no childcare centre here, there must be a reason why there’s not,” Fran said. “And there was a lot of red tape, but every ‘no’ we heard, Mary-Ann would call back the next day with a ‘yes.’ She bent over backwards for us. I can’t say enough good things about them.”
When a surprise inspection would come up, or an unexpected expense, Fran and Regan would call their CBDC, thinking they were done, and they’d be met with reassurance, and promise that they would “figure it out.”
“You’re not going to get that from a bank,” Fran said. “They’re not going to help you in those ways. They’re not looking out for you as a business owner and as a person. And CBDC—they are.”
Fran was able to open the daycare she wanted. She calls it a “home away from home,” where parents know all the teachers by name. It’s become a community space, and even a music school.
There was a couple who offered a music and movement program that Fran believed in and used to bring her own children to. When the couple moved away, she decided to do something about it.
“This is not something I want to see go from the community,” Fran remembers thinking. “So, I did the training myself, and made it a part of my program, and have been doing it ever since.”
Fran believes early exposure to music is good for early childhood development. Which fits perfectly with everything Fran already does for the children of the community.
“The impact that we have on them is huge here,” she said. “So, to me, there’s nothing more important than this work—shaping the future.”
Thank you to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), who collaborate with us to support small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. Together, we will continue to build a stronger Atlantic Canadian economy, fostering job growth and strengthening our rural communities.