Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the province is expanding the list of essential workers eligible for free emergency childcare during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The additional frontline workers who can now access services include:
-Workers in grocery stores and pharmacies
-Truck drivers (driver’s licence Class A and Class D)
-Workers in the food supply chain, including food processing
-Workers in retirement homes
-Auxiliary workers in health care settings, including cooks and cleaning staff in hospitals and long-term care homes
-Interpreters and interveners who support people who are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and deaf/blind
-Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) emergency personnel
-Provincial officers and onsite staff in Ontario courts
-Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence staff working in Ontario
-Additional workers supporting public safety and correctional services
Lecce says we must do whatever it takes to assist those on the frontline and give them the relief they deserve as they work around the clock.
He stresses strict health standards will be in place and they are taking a zero tolerance approach to keep kids safe.
“No site can exceed 50 people. These centres must be thoroughly cleaned every day before opening. All staff must be screened before they enter the centre. That a plan is in place and has been supported by the local Health Authority should an outbreak occur.”
Lecce adds “Visitors are not permitted to enter the centre at all. Everyone is screened upon arrival. Everyone that has any sign or symptom is not permitted inside. Zero tolerance folks.”
The Kenora District Services Board has so far approved five centres to provide child care in Dryden, Red Lake, Sioux Lookout and Kenora.
They include:
New Prospect Early Learning Centre, Dryden
FIREFLY Child Care, Kenora
Kid’s Zone Lakeside, Kenora
Moozoons Child Care, Red Lake
Waninawakang Child Care Centre, Sioux Lookout
For registration information, visit http://www.kdsb.on.ca
