Hundreds of parents lose child care over COVID-19 closures

School closures alone will ban access to about 1,360 licensed child-care spaces until April 6

Hundreds of Hamilton parents — potentially thousands — will be left without child care by the cascading closure of schools, daycare and even March break camps meant to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The provincial government this week ordered all elementary and high schools in Ontario closed until April 6 after a spike in the number of confirmed novel coronavirus infections.

The city followed up Friday by suspending recreational programs — including March break camps — on the same timeline. Some community agencies that provide licensed child care are now starting to announce similar temporary closures as a precautionary health measure.

It’s not clear what alternatives are available for working parents over the next three weeks.

“The impact could be immense,” said city children services director Grace Mater, noting there are 1,359 licensed spaces in local schools alone for babies and children up to three years old.

“We know many people are scrambling to figure out how they can work and care for their children at the same time ... But we also have to be concerned about the health and well-being of all of families, operators and staff.”

As of Friday evening, Mater said she had already heard about out-of-school child care closures that would affect at least another 400 licensed spaces. The city plans to reach out to all operators, representing nearly 5,500 licensed child-care spots, about their plans on Monday.

The YMCA announced Friday that it would be closing all child care and March break services, in and out of schools, until April 6. Affected families will be refunded.

“The health and safety of our participants, staff and families is our No. 1 priority,” said a statement posted online that urged parents to check in for updates. “We know this situation has created a great deal of concern for many people.”

Umbrella, which operates mainly in schools, also posted a service cancellation notice.

The Boys and Girls Club of Hamilton was still consulting with the city about its plans late Friday. The organization told parents to watch its website for updates.

The city will continue operating its own child care centre at the Red Hill Family Centre, said Mater — but that only serves about 80 kids.

The city, library and Royal Botanical Gardens all cancelled March break programming as well Friday, which many working parents rely on.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger acknowledged that puts parents in a tough spot, but urged them Friday to “be creative” and accept the “unfortunately necessary” limits of gatherings and services that risk spreading the novel coronavirus to vulnerable populations.

For now, Mater said there is not much the city can do for parents struggling to balance work and child care.

Long-term, she expressed hope local families will benefit from government intervention at the provincial and federal levels related to fast-tracked access to employment insurance benefits and other economic relief for businesses and workers.

“We know many people are scrambling to figure out how they can work and care for their children at the same time.” GRACE MATER CHILDREN SERVICES DIRECTOR