Childcare centres in Ontario will be allowed to re-open as of Friday, June 12, with some restrictions.
Premier Doug Ford says “there will be limits on the amount of children in the centres at one time. There will be more screening and more cleaning.”
Staff can immediately begin to re-enter child care facilities to prepare for re-opening.
According to a government release, the safety and operational requirements in place are similar to guidelines that emergency child care centres for front-line workers have been operating under.
This includes measures such as putting children and staff in groups of 10 or less, having a COVID-19 response plan if a child, parent or staff member is exposed, screening all staff and children prior to entering the centre, keeping daily attendance records to support contact tracing, thorough cleaning, only allowing essential visitors and implementing drop-off and pick-up protocols to allow for physical distancing.
Premier Ford says parents returning to work need to know that someone they trust will be there to care for their child in a safe and healthy environment.
“I want parents to know, we will take every measure necessary to keep the kids and the staff safe and healthy,” Ford says.
Ford also talked about summer day camp programs, which will be re-opening in Stage 2 as well.
A government release explains overnight camps will not be permitted to operate in the summer of 2020.