Department Plan Programs Department

2022 Review and 2023 Outlook

2022 goals were to engage staff, seek opportunities to collaborate and enhance quality programs and services to the community as well as ongoing pandemic recovery.

As anticipated, 2022 was a busier year for programs in North Perth since the start of the pandemic. As the reopening steps continued to expand, there was an increase in the number of programs we could offer as well as increased participation numbers. Staff engagement, recruitment and retention continue to be a key focus.

2022 Review Children Services

• Emergency Child Care for essential workers during the pandemic

• 75-100% attendance. Lower attendance numbers contributed from limited capacity numbers due to COVID-19 guidelines, absences from active screening measures and non-COVID-19 illnesses

• Provided support to 123 Look at Me Nursery and assisted them with meeting current Ministry requirements to reopen January 2022. Positive feedback received by the MOE

• Continued to recruit child care staff. Engaged with staff to meet their needs to create a sustainable staffing system.

• Enrolled in Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care, provided 25% rebates to eligible families (CWELCC fund from the City of Stratford, our CMSM)

• To help offset some operational costs, as well as provide time for annual maintenance work at the child care centres, the program department was shut down the week of December 26-30, 2022. Families and staff were notified at the beginning of the year so they could make plans.

• Our proposal was approved by City of Stratford to cover the costs to offer Mental Health First Aid training to all child care workers. This helped staff, but also gave them the tools to help the families they engage with.

• Engaged with Set7 on the facilitation of a Home Day Care Course.