Child care will take ‘weeks’ to return: operators
City staff expect centres won’t reopen until at least early July
Two major daycare operators in Hamilton say it will take “weeks” before they can safely reopen for their families.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced Tuesday that Ontario child-care centres could reopen as early as June 12, but only if they were abiding by strict guidelines which include attendance records and a 10-person cap of staff and children.
Paul Johnson, director of the city’s Emergency Operations Centre, also made it clear Tuesday that date wouldn’t be possible.
Nearly all daycares across the province have been shuttered since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marni Flaherty, CEO of Today’s Family, said it would be “irresponsible” for their 27 sites and nearly 100 in-home licensees to reopen until they fully understood their financial situation.
On Thursday, the City of Hamilton announced it was in the process of establishing a framework for the “gradual and safe reopening” of child-care facilities in the city.
The protocols will include “enhanced cleaning, mandatory screening of staff and children, limitations on visitors, and ensuring an updated COVID-19 response plan is in place.”
To make that happen, Flaherty said they are looking for additional financial support from the province.
On a normal basis, they are funded by the province to help offset day-to-day costs.
But, with less children, their staffing costs will be higher, personal protective equipment will be required and additional cleaning will have to be done throughout the day.
Flaherty estimates they could see their costs double or even triple.
“We cannot be passing that kind of expense onto parents,” said Flaherty. “We would not be affordable whatsoever.”
In a memo obtained by The Spectator, assistant deputy minister Shannon Fullerton wrote that funding will be provided to assist with “reduced capacity,” “increased personal protective equipment (PPE),” cleaning costs “over and above” those incurred prior to the pandemic, as well as increased staffing levels in centres that reopen.
The funding, however, is “contingent on operators not increasing parent fees,” wrote
Fullerton.
‘Many, many factors’
Nicki Glowacki, the chief operating officer of the YMCA of Hamilton-Burlington-Brantford (HBB), said it will take a “few weeks” to have their 21 early-learning and child-care centres ready to reopen.
Glowacki said their organization needs to recall and retrain their laid off staff, assess each of their sites and do a “deep clean” of each room.
Toys such as blocks, Teddy bears and dolls will all be put away, the desks will be measured and set apart and there will be no sharing of art supplies.
“There are many, many factors,” said Glowacki.
Flaherty said her staff have begun thinking about the “flow” of their rooms, which could be sectioned off for physical distancing.
“You’ve got to do it in the most responsible way,” said Flaherty. “It’s really important that we do it right.”
In the COVID-19 response update Friday, Hamilton’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, said the city will be requiring inspections for all 234 child-care locations as part of its guidelines to reopen.
“We do find that is the best way to go through and make sure people understand and are following the guidance,” she said.
Richardson said their team of health inspectors are “ready to go,” but it will be up to operators to be ready.
Based on early feedback, she said many are looking at “end of June, early July” for reopening.
“We’ll be there to work with them as soon as they are able,” Richardson said.
The city will also be hosting webinars in the coming week to connect with operators to help layout plans and answer any additional questions.
‘Choosing ’ families
Flaherty said a survey of client families found that 70 per cent of them want to put their youngsters back in child care. For Glowacki, it’s been a mixed response from the families of their approximately 863 children.
But with the new guidelines, which limits capacity to 10 individuals per room, including staff and children, Flaherty said their families’ needs are “impossible” to meet.
According to the city, its 14,000 pre-pandemic spaces “will be greatly reduced” with new restrictions.
To figure out who will get to come back, Flaherty said they are looking to the municipality for guidance on “priority” groups, such as children of health-care workers or single parents.
Emergency child care, which has been available to front-line essential workers since late March, will come to an end June 26.
“I don’t know what that looks like,” said Flaherty.
“We have to think about it really carefully before we start choosing who gets care and who doesn’t.”
Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com
“We have to think about it really carefully before we start choosing who gets care and who doesn’t.” MARNI FLAHERTY TODAY’S FAMILY CEO