Emergency child care centres in Durham Region are now open, offering free care exclusively for eligible healthcare and frontline workers, the region announced.
The Regional Municipality of Durham has partnered with local licensed child care operators and home child care agencies in Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington and Uxbridge, and is working to open more facilities across the region according to need, it said.
These child care centres are exempt from the order issued by the Provincial Government to close all licensed centres pursuant to the Declaration of Emergency. Care is available 24 hours a day, to best support the needs of healthcare and frontline workers, said a statement.
Care is reserved exclusively for eligible healthcare and frontline workers, who have no other alternatives, and is free of charge to parents for children ages birth to 12 years.
Those eligible can apply online.
However, the statement pointed out that the safest option is for your child to remain at home, if possible.
It said stringent policies and procedures are mandated in all emergency child care centres to reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19. This includes reduced ratios, screening, surveillance, enhanced sanitization practices, and protocols if a child or staff have symptoms.
“I want to thank our Children’s Services staff and our community partners who quickly got these emergency child care centres up and running so that these workers are able to have professionals care for their children while they provide essential services during this pandemic,” said Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou, Commissioner of Social Services.
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