Region opening additional spaces for emergency child care

The Region of Waterloo is looking to offer more support for critical and essential service workers by expanding its emergency child care program.

Chief Administrative Officer Mike Murray made the announcement during Monday's COVID-19 update.

He said the region received new directives from the province on Friday night, as Ontario expanded the list of workers eligible to receive emergency child care.

“They expanded that list to include employees such as, those who are working in shelters, developmental services, residential services, and others. So families of people working in those areas, as well as anybody who is in a critical or essential service, their families are eligible for emergency child care.”

Murray said as a result, there's been an increasing demand for emergency child care.

“The region has applied to the province to open additional spaces for emergency child care in two community-operated licensed child care centres, and through a community-operated licensed home child care agency. Once approved by the province, those will be opened up very quickly.”

Murray said to date, the region has received 210 applications for the program – for a total of 342 children.

“94 children have been placed, 20 families are in the process of being placed, and 65 families are still waiting for placement. The new centres to be opened will help with that. The remainder either withdrew their applications, or were not eligible for the program at the time.”

For more information on the program, click here.