Grey County is planning to buy some land to redevelop the EarlyON centre in Hanover.
The existing Early On centre is aging. A County staff report says its infrastructure is old. It has limited parking, and lacks accessibility. They note, “The building is not meeting operating needs of the program and the community.” Staff also note the building must be accessible by the end of 2025 in order to comply with provincial legislation.
Community Services Director Anne Marie Shaw says, “The child and family centre offers free, high quality programs for family and children from birth to six years of age. Parents and caregivers can learn and play with their children, meet other parents and get advice from early childhood professionals.”
Grey County operates the EarlyON Centre in Hanover, while other locations around the County are operated by contracted providers.
The existing EarlyON Centre is on 9th Street. County staff say it’s a well attended location, noting in 2024 there were 2,598 visits made by children and 2,038 visits from parents and caregivers. The parcel of land for a new centre is on 17th Street Crescent.
Council gave staff its approval to go ahead with the land purchase and start looking for an architect. Staff will bring back architect options to council.
Director of Community Services Anne Marie Shaw told council the hope is to get going on the project explaining, “We’re really hoping for the end of next year. End of 2026. If we can get out and get our architectural person hired, get the drawings going, get them approved by council and then hopefully start building in the spring.”
