Update on Child Care Centres in Stratford, St. Marys, and Perth County

On June 9, 2020, the Province of Ontario announced that as part of the next stage of the province’s reopening framework, child care centres and home care providers in Ontario would be allowed to re-open starting June 12, 2020. This plan will require all child care operators within the Service Manager Area to follow strict health protocols to ensure the safety of child care staff, parents, and children.

In Stratford, St. Marys, and Perth County, emergency child care will continue to be offered to eligible workers until June 26, 2020 at Anne Hathaway Day Care Centre and YMCA Early Learning and Development Centre in Stratford, North Perth Spinrite Child and Family Centre in Listowel, and St. Marys Child Care Centre in the Town of St. Marys.

Before child care centres begin a staged re-opening locally, they will be required to adopt specific rules, including:

• Cohorting - children and staff in groups of 10 or less in the same room, day over day;
• COVID-19 response plan - all child care settings will be required to have a plan in place if a child, parent or staff member/provider is exposed to COVID-19;
• Screening - all staff and children must be screened prior to entry to the child care setting.  Anyone feeling unwell must stay home;
• Daily attendance records - child care settings must keep daily records of all attendees in order to support contact tracing;
• Cleaning - child care settings must be thoroughly cleaned before opening and frequently thereafter;
• No visitors - only essential visitors are permitted entry into the child care setting;
• Implementing drop-off and pick-up protocols to maintain physical distancing.

The City of Stratford and child care operators will continue to consult with Huron Perth Public Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Province of Ontario to ensure the safety of children, staff, and families.

Any questions or concerns regarding the re-opening of child care can be directed to Jeff Wilson, Manager of Children’s Services, City of Stratford, at jwilson@stratford.ca or by phone at (519) 271-3773 ext. 243.