Essential Workers Child Care Expansion

By Olivia Waldriff

The Ontario announced that they are expanding the list of essential workers eligible to receive emergency child care to help additional frontline staff during the coronavirus outbreak.

Under the new plan the government will offer emergency childcare services to those providing a variety of critical services including:

• Members of the First Nations police services

• Critical staff in community corrections like probation and officers

• Frontline investigative staff at the Provincial Forensic Pathology Unit.

In addition to the new plan the ministry of education is working with Consolidated Municipal Service Managers and District Social Services Administration Boards as well as First Nations to implement emergency child care centres in communities across the province.

The child care centres will be required to have a plan in place to protect staff and youth from COVID-19.