Starting Monday, January 10, emergency child care services will be available to designated essential service workers in Toronto who are not able to accommodate their kindergarten or school-aged child’s learning or care at home during the current remote learning period.
Four City-operated child care centres and four Toronto Home Child Care Agencies have been approved by the Province of Ontario to provide emergency child care. They are:
In total, there are more than 40 approved emergency child care providers across the city, including four City-operated child care centres and four Toronto Home Child Care agencies, which will be offering emergency child care services.
Essential workers who require emergency child care during this period are encouraged to verify whether they meet the Provincial eligibility requirements. View the full list of eligible workers.
If they meet these requirements, designated essential workers may contact an emergency child care provider from the provincially-approved list directly to register their child(ren) for care. Emergency child care programs will adhere to all requirements set out in the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 and all current Ministry of Education and Toronto Public Health guidance. More information regarding emergency child care, including the current list of operators providing this service, is available on the City’s website.
Emergency child care services are reserved exclusively for children of essential service workers identified in the Province’s list of essential workers eligible for emergency child care who have no other alternatives. The safest option for families is to have children remain at home, if possible.
During the period between Wednesday, January 5 to Monday, January 17:
The City’s website is updated regularly with the latest health advice and information about City services, social supports and economic recovery measures. Check Toronto.ca/COVID-19 for answers to common questions before contacting the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Hotline or 311.
Quotes:
“Essential workers have kept this city running throughout the duration of this pandemic. As we confront the Omicron variant, the City is working with the Province of Ontario to make emergency child care available again for those frontline workers. We depend heavily on the many services that these workers provide, and it is important that their families are supported during the current provincial health measures. My thanks to the four City-operated early learning and child care centres, Toronto Home Child Care Agency and the more than 40 licensed child care providers across the city that have stepped up to the plate to provide emergency child care for the children of our frontline heroes.”
– Mayor John Tory
“As we have done since the start of the pandemic when needed, the City of Toronto, with support from the Government of Ontario, is again opening up emergency child care for the essential workers on the frontlines. We owe our deepest thanks to all of these essential workers providing the critical services that keep us healthy and safe, and we must continue to do all we can to ensure they are supported.”
– Councillor Joe Cressy, (Spadina-Fort York), Chair of the Toronto Board of Health
“We owe a debt of gratitude to the essential workers in this city. I am very pleased that more than 40 licensed child care providers, including home child care providers through the City’s Toronto Home Child Care Agency, have come forward to offer emergency child care services for those families with no other options for their children.”
– Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre), Chair of the City’s Economic and Community Development Committee
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.