The Daniel Langlois Soufriere Preschool will be handed over on August 11 after a major community-funded reconstruction led by Jungle Bay.
Dominica: Reconstruction for the new Daniel Langlois Soufriere Preschool have been successfully completed, with the school scheduled to be handed over to the Ministry of Education, HR Planning, Vocational Training & National Excellence on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. This project was undertaken by Jungle Bay Resort and Spa, which has demonstrated its commitment to supporting and enhancing early childhood education in the community.
Proprietor of Jungle Bay Resort and Spa, Sam Raphael, said that the handing over the ceremony for the preschool will start at 2:30 p.m., this coming Tuesday. He shared that the school itself is now fully complete, with only the installation of fencing remaining. He explained that fencing was not included in the original plans, but additional funds were later secured to build a perimeter fence and a playground for the school.
Sam Raphael explained that constructing the Daniel Langlois Soufriere Preschool was challenging as it is one of the biggest projects they have ever undertaken. However, he added that from the first to the last phase, the preschool received a lot of funds from different guests, foundations as well as staff of Jungle Bay, who all willingly contributed to the school’s completion.
It was a bit of a challenge because this is bigger than the projects that we normally undertake. It's a huge investment that’s certainly way in excess of half a million dollars and we didn't know where the funds were going to come from; but Jungle Bay started by putting in the first dollar and along the way, we got the assistance of many people, shared Sam Raphael.
He further explained, "The staff of Jungle Bay also put a little percentage of their tips for the community project and then we put the information out to our guests. Many of our guests loved the concept of an early childhood facility for the young people of the community and ended up contributing, including the Redekopp Foundation who became the major sponsor of the construction project.”
Jungle Bay’s Proprietor extended gratitude to everyone who has played a role and contributed to the successful completion of the project. Raphael expressed that he looks forward to seeing the students benefit from the improved educational environment, seeing as they have been learning in a basement since Hurricane Maria.
It's now a very beautiful preschool! We look forward to handing it to the Ministry of Education for their use so that the preschoolers that normally attend Seedlings Preschool and who have been relocated into the basement of a church since Hurricane Maria will be able to enjoy this brand-new facility this coming year, Raphael shared.