Peel councillors made the right choice

12 child care centres to stay open –for now

Peel, Ontario — In a unanimous vote on January 27, Peel Regional Councilors voted to keep 12 regionally –run child care centres open until a task force - that will hear from parents, child care staff and community members – can properly assess the Region’s role delivering child care. The task force is scheduled to report on its findings next September. In the meantime Peel’s 12 centres will continue to operate and accept applications for new children needing child care.

“Council deserves a thank you for listening to parents, child care staff and members of the community. In hundreds of calls and letters  and six hours of deputations, it was amazing to see many parents talk about the importance of maintaining the quality child care for their children that the regional centres provide”, said Andrea Calver, Coordinator of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care.

The Coalition is committed to working with Regional councillors for improved funding in the 2012 provincial budget to stabilize the child care system. Continuing to work with city staff, parents, early childhood educators and the community to develop solutions that work for Peel is also a priority.

“I wish every politician had the opportunity to spend a day hearing about the economic impact of child care and the personal stories of parents,” said Calver.  The mobilization of parents in support of quality child care “sends an important message to the Minister of Education Laurel Broten that child care matters to voters”.

For more information, contact:

Andrea Calver, OCBCC Coordinator at 416-434-8031