Emergency Child Care to be provided for local Essential Services Frontline Workers

BRANTFORD, ON - As part of the provincial response to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, on March 22, 2020, the Ministry of Education announced plans to further support health care professionals and other essential frontline workers, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, firefighters, police, and correctional officers, as well as other essential workers, with access to safe, local emergency child care throughout the duration of the pandemic.

Recognizing that the safest option for families is to have children remain at home if at all possible, essential workers who have no other alternatives for child care will be offered access to local child care services that will be reserved exclusively for children of essential
and critical service workers as identified in the Province of Ontario's List of Workers Eligible for Emergency Child Care.

In consultation with our local Brant County Health Unit Medical Officer of Health, in Brantford/Brant, Licensed Home Child Care provider, Wee Watch Home Child Care, has been selected to provide this emergency care to children of essential workers. This delivery model supports the City and County’s ability to provide emergency child care services while mitigating possible Covid-19 exposure by keeping children and staff in smaller numbers in each separate home location.

Parents who are essential workers who live or work in the City of Brantford or the County of Brant can register for a child care space at Wee Watch at https://brantford.onehsn.com/.

Once registered for a space, parents can apply for full fee subsidy by calling 519-759-7009 or completing the subsidy application online at Brantford.ca/childrensservices.

Any additional questions can be directed to childcareservices@brantford.ca.

-30-

Media Contact
Maria Visocchi - Director, Communications and Community Engagement
City of Brantford | 519.759.4150 ext. 5754 | mvisocchi@brantford.ca