City of Toronto to open child care centres for children of essential service workers

With authorization from the Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto is poised to open licenced child care centres for the children of essential and critical service workers.

The service will be available at no cost, funded by the province, for children ranging in age from infancy to 12-years-old. It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The centres will operate across Toronto in established City-run child care facilities, and will be operated and staffed by City of Toronto licenced child care workers.

An online registration system is being established, and the city says it will be “communicated widely” once it becomes available.

The centres will then open as quickly as possible following registration.

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Workers that are considered to be essential and critical have been defined by the Province, and a list of those services will be made available shortly.

Given social distancing is not feasible when caring for young children, the city says that additional measures will be taken, in consultation with Toronto Public Health and the City’s Occupational Health and Safety program, to maintain a healthy and safe environment.

Some precautions will include the daily screening of children and families prior to admission, increased cleaning, and reduced group sizes.