MEDIA RELEASE:

TBDSSAB Emergency Child Care Program for School-aged Children of Essential Services Workers

April 16, 2021 – The District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) has applied to the Province of Ontario in consultation with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit to offer full-time child care for school-aged children of essential service workers with no other child care options.

The application process for Emergency Child Care services will open on April 16, 2021 at 1pm. Emergency child care may be available as early as April 26, 2021.

Eligible families can apply online at www.thunderbaychildcare.ca. TBDSSAB will contact eligible families when a space becomes available. Locations will be determined based on approval by the Ministry of Education. Child care hours and service options will vary by centre.

With funding from the Province of Ontario, emergency child care services are available at no cost to eligible families. Emergency child care services are reserved exclusively for school-aged children of essential service workers who must report to a work location, as defined by the Province of Ontario. A complete list is available through the Ontario newsroom: https://news.ontario.ca/en/backgrounder/61162/ontario-provides-emergency-child-care-for-critical-frontline-workers

Priority will be given to essential service workers with no other child care options. Demand may exceed available spaces; TBDSSAB will work closely with the provincial government and community partners to determine how services may be expanded if needed.

“To support critical service workers who do not have other options, TBDSSAB and the Province of Ontario are making child care spaces available to ensure their children are safe and well looked after,” says Lucy Kloosterhuis, Board Chair.

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