Lanark County has received authorization from the Province of Ontario to open three licensed child care centres to provide care for school aged children of essential service workers during the lockdown. The Child Development Centre operated by the Town of Smiths Falls, TayCare Children’s Centre in Perth operated by Tayside Community Residential and Support Options, and Almonte Day Care Centre operated by the Municipality of Mississippi Mills will open their doors Tuesday, January 12th. The three centres are licensed child care facilities staffed by early childhood educators and experienced in offering care during the pandemic.
To support members of the essential workforce licensed child care service will be available at no cost to eligible families with school aged children at the three sites, funded by the Province of Ontario. Services will operate for extended business hours Monday to Friday. Centres work closely with the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit to implement practices that keep children and staff as safe as possible.
Emergency child care services are reserved exclusively for school aged children of essential workers, defined by the Province of Ontario. To be eligible, workers must be required to report to an official work location to deliver the service without the ability to work from home. Child care centres remain open as usual to serve non-school aged children.
There are a number of workers eligible for emergency child care, including, but not limited to police officers, firefighters or individuals providing fire protection services, regulated health care professionals, unregulated health care providers working in health care, long-term care and retirement home staff, paramedics, Canada Post employees, individuals who perform work that is essential to the delivery of core services in a municipality (such as social services, water and solid waste). A complete list of workers eligible for emergency child care is available on the Lanark County website or can be obtained by contacting Lanark County Social Services.
Due to limited space, the County will commit to child care spaces for eligible families on a first come, first served basis. Once families complete and submit the application via email or drop off at a County office, they will be contacted by Lanark County Children’s Services staff regarding their eligibility and space availability.
The child care centres will open Tuesday, January 12th. “County Council believes it is incredibly important to support our front line and health care workers during this unprecedented time. Opening designated child care centres for essential service workers is one way we can support those who are making exceptional efforts to keep our County safe and functioning during this difficult time” stated Warden Christa Lowry (Mayor of Mississippi Mills). “Emergency licensed child care will ensure the school aged children of essential workers in our community are safely cared for.”
For details on eligibility and application, visit the Lanark County website, email ss@lanarkcounty.ca or call 613-267-4200 or 1-888-952-6275 ext. 2304.
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