Mary has lived in many places, with a variety of careers including childcare, and has always been deeply involved in the community in which she lives.

Moving to Stratford to be close to their daughter and her young family, Mary and her husband were eager to open their daycare business and began searching for a suitable location. However, they faced the challenge of finding a dual-purpose home to accommodate their living space and new enterprise. Home daycare businesses must meet stringent regulations and finding a home that met those requirements within their budget proved difficult in the limited and costly Stratford housing market.

They stayed at a friend’s residence just outside the city while they searched for a home. Getting a mortgage was yet another obstacle. With the cost of homes and a new business plan the bank rejected their mortgage application.

“Everyday throughout the summer,” Mary recounted, “we toured potential properties that we had seen in ads or social media. The apartments were priced at a minimum of $1200 and were unsuitable for a daycare. Waitlists were long, options were dwindling, and it took a long time before we finally found a rental.”

Not long after finding an apartment, an amazing thing happened. Mary met a couple that was looking to buy a house and rent it out. “We showed them a great house we had just seen for sale and they bought it and rented it to us.” Mary recalled. What a stroke of luck.

Four months later, Mary launched the Stratford Daycare with full enrollment and a multi-year waitlist—evidence that the daycare was a much-needed business in Stratford. Although, they faced numerous obstacles in securing a mortgage, Mary and her husband refused to give up. Eventually their hard work paid off when, after 18 months of business success, they were approved for a mortgage and acquired the perfect home. “We carried out extensive renovations to make the house perfect for a daycare setting,” Mary remarked. They also hosted exchange students to assist with mortgage payments.

When COVID hit in March 2020, all licensed daycares had to close temporarily. After an interim move overseas to support their son, Mary and her husband returned to the area. They have been working on re-opening the Preschool and Daycare, this time in Tavistock. The start is slow, “it’s still very hard to find a suitable and attainable home!” said Mary. But she remains unwavering in the face of the housing situation—she’s done it before and will do it again.