Press Release
A community organization based in Emo has been approved by the province to operate a new child care centre at the west end of the district.
But it now is calling on the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board to come to the table with its support.
The non-profit corporation, Emo Child Care Centre (ECCC), has been working for well over two years to create an early years’ daycare program.
The organization plans to accommodate toddlers and pre-school aged children, and has plans in place to operate both before- and after-school programming for other ages.
It has secured space at Knox United Church in Emo, which has committed to implementing necessary renovations and has provided seed funding to get the program off the ground.
In March, ECCC received its approval from the Ministry of Education.
“Our program has the support of Rainy River First Nations, and the municipal councils of Emo, Barwick, and Stratton-the primary communities we intend to serve,” said Cindy Judson, a director of the ECCC board.
“The Rainy River District School Board has also been enthusiastic about opportunities to partner with our before- and after-school programming once the construction at Donald Young is completed this September,” she added.
“DSSAB is the only remaining obstacle.”
DSSAB must accept and approve ECCC’s application to operate the child care facility in order to make the program eligible for provincial operational funding, and for families who utilize the program to be eligible for child-care fee subsidies.
“Parents can’t accept jobs in our district without safe, accessible, secure care for their children,” Judson stressed.
“We have proven the need for this service in our communities, have made ongoing revisions to our budget, and been responsive to all of DSSAB’s questions,” she noted.
“We have yet to receive a green light.”
Judson noted DSSAB is hosting its own consultation meetings this week in Stratton and Emo to provide parents with insight about upcoming Ontario Early Years changes and “Best Start” service adaptations.
To date, the ECCC has not been invited to participate–despite its ongoing dialogue with DSSAB and openness to building community collaborations and partnerships.
“We have been jumping through hoops for months, have met all the known requirements, and have secured the support of government partners and neighbouring communities,” said Judson.
“[Yet] we are stuck in a holding pattern, and have grown frustrated with the apparent lack of commitment from DSSAB to get our program approved for public funding,” she remarked.
DSSAB has suggested that no funding is available for the project.
Its own strategic plan, however, states that the “Rainy River District will have in place a system of accessible, integrated, high-quality child care that empowers families, responds to their needs, and promotes community development by 2018.”
DSSAB currently supports three child-care facilities in Fort Frances, one in Devlin, one in Atikokan, and one in Rainy River.
There are no public early child-care options located in Emo, Barwick, Stratton, or Rainy River First Nations.
But these communities are some of the only ones in the district exhibiting population growth (Emo grew by 6.5 percent from 2011-16 while Fort Frances declined by 2.6 percent over that same period).
“The entire district contributes to these services,” Judson said. “We are simply asking for DSSAB to let families in our communities have the same support as their neighbours.
“We are in a race against time to be ready to open when school registration starts in the fall,” she noted.
“We are calling on DSSAB to step up so we can achieve this goal.”
