The new daycare centre at Malahat Nation came several steps closer thanks to more than $200,000 raised at its fourth annual fundraising event in late October.

“Our nation’s future begins with the children,” nation councillor Vince Harry said before the day-long golf and gala at Bear Mountain resort. “We want ours to have the same early education opportunities that are available in more urban centres so our kids have an equal start beside their non-Aboriginal friends when they start school.”

Site plans and illustrations of the proposed daycare were on display at the event. It will be built in the centre of Malahat’s village that is near Mill Bay on the western shores of Saanich Inlet.

The daycare will be housed in a traditional longhouse-style building near the nation’s Kwanu Kwasun cultural centre that was built as a result of the first gala in 2013.

Once built, the daycare will provide meals and a caring environment. A statement from Malahat said: “We know that children who attend daycare facilities in every other First Nations community are well prepared for school when the day arrives, and that their opportunities for a healthy and successful life are dramatically improved.

“A daycare centre will provide support for our growing families and allow for community members to continue their education and employment plans knowing their children are safe and well cared for.”

The nation’s second gala in 2014 was focused on providing funds to develop social programs in the community. Money raised in the 2015 gala augmented those programs as well as initiatives that provided employment training and economic development opportunities to Malahat members both on and off reserve.