Emergency child care centres in Durham Region are now open

Whitby, Ontario – Emergency child care centres in Durham Region are now open, offering free care exclusively for eligible healthcare and frontline workers so they can continue to provide critical services to the community amid COVID-19.

The Regional Municipality of Durham has partnered with local licensed child care operators and home child care agencies in Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington and Uxbridge, and is working to open more facilities across the region according to need. These child care centres are exempt from the order issued by the Provincial Government to close all licensed centres pursuant to the Declaration of Emergency. Care is available 24 hours a day, to best support the needs of healthcare and frontline workers.

Care is reserved exclusively for eligible healthcare and frontline workers, who have no other alternatives, and is free of charge to parents for children ages birth to 12 years.

If you are a healthcare or frontline worker who needs emergency child care, please apply online. Remember that the safest option is for your child to remain at home, if possible.

The Region of Durham’s Social Services Department, Children’s Services Division continues to work closely with the Durham Region Health Department, Provincial Government and other provincial partners to ensure that the health and safety of children, parents, and staff are at the forefront of service delivery. Stringent policies and procedures are mandated in all emergency child care centres to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. This includes reduced ratios, screening, surveillance, enhanced sanitization practices, and protocols if a child or staff have symptoms.

For more information, please visit durham.ca.

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“I want to thank our Children’s Services staff and our community partners who quickly got these emergency child care centres up and running so that these workers are able to have professionals care for their children while they provide essential services during this pandemic.”

- Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou, Commissioner of Social Services

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For more information, please contact Corporate Communications.