Here's what Ontario child-care centres must do to reopen Friday

The Ford government announced Tuesday that child-care centres could reopen across the province on Friday — but only if those centres can put proper guidelines in place.

However, child-care operators were only given detailed guidelines late Tuesday night, two people involved in the industry told CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Wednesday. Carolyn Ferns, the public policy co-ordinator for the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, blasted the government's plan as "half baked."

Ontario's education minister is already acknowledging many centres will need more time to open their doors. Local medical officers of health can also set their own timelines for reopening child-care centres in their regions if they feel it's too soon to do so this Friday.

Toronto Public Health has already signalled that it will not green light the reopening on Friday. In a statement to CBC News, the agency said it is still working "to ensure that appropriate guidance is available for child-care centres as soon as possible.

"The Ministry of Education also requires that training on preventive measures be provided to all child care staff and providers prior to reopening, which is not likely to occur by this Friday," the statement continued.

The provincial government is also not providing any additional funding to the sector, raising questions about who will pay for things like personal protective equipment. The government's guidelines urge "where possible, wear gloves when interacting with high-touch areas."

The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care is calling for a tripling of government child-care funding in order to cover additional costs associated with the new safety measures, the need for more workers and a potential loss in revenue.

Ontario Education Minister shares details about the reopening of child-care centres.

4 years ago

Duration 2:43

Ontario has announced that child-care centres across the province can reopen as soon as Friday, June 12.

Child care centres that do not comply with the guidelines face stiff fines, the province has warned.

'The mathematics aren't going to work'

Emergency child-care centres that have stayed open during the pandemic offer a preview of life under the new guidelines.

Carol Norton, owner-operator of the All About Kids child-care centres, said the safety precautions have required a number of major adjustments and the need for additional workers.

At her centre in Markham, which has stayed open to serve essential workers, she said staff now spend much of their time operating "almost an assembly line of cleaning" as well as overseeing strict new measures to ensure children aren't sharing toys.

She estimated those changes have driven up operating costs by about 30 per cent, which includes personal protective equipment and higher wages for staff who have continued working during the crisis. Norton said operating under the new safety guidelines will be unsustainable without additional funding.

"I can't see how centres would be able to do it financially," Norton said on Metro Morning. "The mathematics aren't going to work."

Tiny Bubbles Childcare in Whitchurch-Stoufville offered a more scathing review of Ontario's plan, calling the government "grossly misinformed" about the challenges facing the sector.

"The Ministry of Education has done nothing to help the [child-care centres], other than threatening us with heavy fines if we do not comply," wrote treasurer Rudy Teunissen in an email to Lecce, also shared with CBC News.

Here are the basic requirements child-care centres need to put in place. Read below for the detailed guidelines sent to child-care centres this week.

    •    Children and staff will be limited to groups of 10 or fewer.
    •    All children and staff must be screened for symptoms daily.
    •    Thorough cleaning of the centre before opening and during the day.
    •    The removal of toys that are likely to spread germs.
    •    Requirement for a COVID-19 response plan if a staff member or child is exposed to the virus.
    •    Permitting only "essential" visitors.
    •    Pick-up and drop-off protocols that allow for physical distancing.