by Morinville News Staff
The Government of Alberta is expanding the eligibility for select licensed child care centres to provide child care for all essential service workers.
Added to the previously eligible front-line health-care workers, critical infrastructure workers, and first responders, the province is making childcare available to anyone who works in the critical areas outlined as essential by the government.
A complete list of essential services can be found at https://www.alberta.ca/essential-services.aspx
“Access to child care should not be a barrier for those who are doing the work required to maintain essential services for all Albertans,” said Minister of Children’s Services Rebecca Schulz in a media release Wednesday. “We are grateful to the workers for continuing to get the job done and we thank those child care operators for stepping up to provide this important service.”
Eligible parents can contact the child care centres that are open in their communities. An updated list can be found at https://www.alberta.ca/assets/documents/covid-19-reopened-child-care-centres.pdf.
The government says it is reopening spaces in four other communities and working with Municipal Affairs, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association and Rural Municipalities of Alberta to identify areas of need elsewhere.
Centres will be limited to 30 people, including staff, and will have to adhere to strict sanitization practices based on specific instructions from Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health.
All other licensed child care centres are to remain closed. Approved family day homes may remain open but limited to six children, not including the operators’ own children.
