Child care centres don't just need permission to reopen, they need funding to open safely: NDP

QUEEN'S PARK — NDP Early Learning and Childcare critic Doly Begum responded to the Ford government announcement that child care centres are permitted to open at full capacity as of Sept. 1:

"Doug Ford has quietly put out a notice that child care centres can fully re-open on Sept. 1, but child care centres don't just need permission from the government; they desperately need help.

What operators have been saying for months is that they need additional funding to hire more staff and procure PPE, to ensure that new health restrictions are met, and that children are kept safe and healthy.

I have heard from operators, parents and early childhood educators around the province that the Ford government continues to fail to consult with the sector on what they need to open their doors safely. Many operators and parents remain unclear about what before and after-school child care will look like when school reopens.

While Ford has been making stuff up, claiming 91 per cent of child care centres have opened, journalists and experts have confirmed it's actually 40 per cent, and that those open are running at reduced capacity. We won't get to 100 per cent of centres open - and opened safely - until this government starts actually helping child care centres."