Emergency Child Care Program at Capacity in Grey County

The Emergency Child Care for Targeted Frontline Workers program is now at capacity in Grey County. All spaces have been filled and families notified. Unfortunately, local child care operators are at capacity and coping with their own staffing challenges, and additional spaces are not expected. Grey County staff are maintaining a waitlist and will follow up with eligible families in priority order if spaces become available for any reason.

Eligibility and prioritization criteria for the Emergency Child Care for Targeted Frontline Workers program is provided by the Ministry of Education. Priority is given to eligible families with workers in healthcare (hospitals, long-term care facilities etc.) and emergency services. Grey County worked with child care operators to open an additional 185 licensed spaces of care for the program.

“We realize demand for emergency child care is very high with schools moving back to virtual learning. Grey County staff have been in touch with all licensed child care providers in the area seeking support.  The providers who can are adding spaces to support our community during this challenging fourth wave of COVID-19,” said Rob Hatten, communications manager with Grey County. “Unfortunately, limited capacity means there aren’t enough spaces for all families in need. We understand this is a very difficult situation for many families.”

The Emergency Child Care for Targeted Frontline Workers program was announced on January 3 by the Province.  The program is set to begin on January 10. Grey County has been working with local child care operators to create additional spaces in support of families while schools are operating remotely. More information can be found online at www.grey.ca.