RENFREW COUNTY (Pembroke) — The County of Renfrew in cooperation with the Province of Ontario will open a licensed child-care centre to provide care for children of healthcare and front-line workers at no cost to families. The Province of Ontario has recently announced a strategy to support essential and critical service workers during this COVID-19 outbreak. Ontario has exempted certain child-care centres from the order to close all licensed child-care centres pursuant to the declared state of emergency. The County of Renfrew is partnered with the Renfrew County and District Health Unit (RCDHU) to ensure the protection and safety of the children, parents and staff in these centres.
Children’s Garden in Pembroke will begin to operate at cathedral catholic elementary school by the end of next week and will have five spaces available for children aged 44 months to age 12, inclusive. The application for a space at the centre was made available yesterday on the County of Renfrew Website at https://bit.ly/2JOBBuO.
“The County of Renfrew is committed to supporting our healthcare and frontline workers by having child-care in place for these essential workers, so those that care for us can feel assured that their children are being looked after. Working with our licenced child-care providers in Renfrew County, and our partners at the Province,” said James Brose, Chair of the County of Renfrew Social Services Committee.
Emergency child care services are identified in the Province of Ontario’s “List of Workers Eligible for Emergency Child Care” and the County said they “will continue to work closely with our Provincial and community partners to determine if this service can be expanded”.
