Children's Services

COVID-19 Update

The government of Ontario has confirmed the return of in-person learning for all publicly funded and private schools starting January 17, 2022, with enhanced health and safety measures in place. These new measures include the deployment of additional rapid antigen tests and establishing school-based vaccination clinics.

These measures build on the updated and additional health and safety measures in schools and child care centres, including those that were put in place on the advice of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health (OCMOH).

• Updating the COVID-19 school and child care screener and asking students, parents and staff for screening and monitoring of symptoms, including daily onsite confirmation of self-screening.
• Providing non-fit-tested N95 masks for staff in schools and licensed child care settings as an optional alternative to medical/surgical masks, and additional supply of high-quality three-ply cloth masks that are strongly encouraged and free for students.

 Children's Services is committed to providing services that:

• Foster early learning and child development
• Support children being cared for in a safe, nurturing environment
• Support the inclusion of children with special needs in licensed child care
• Enable parents to work or undertake training or education leading to employment
• Provide linkages to other support services

We do this by:

• Supporting families who need help with the daily cost of child care
• Offering support services for children in licensed child care
• Offering EarlyON programs
• Partnering with licensed child care centres in the community and Municipal Child Care Programs
• Offering funding opportunities to licensed child care agencies
• Professional and community planning