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It has been a long battle for City officials, but the Provincial Liberals - less than four months away from another election - have committed more than $1.3 million in Best Start funding for the City.
While Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County were included in the Province's August 2005 announcement that they would receive three-year Best Start funding to the tune of $8,618,000, the City was left out of the funding loop after receiving an initial $2.278 million in January 2006.
At the time the newly elected federal government cancelled the Canada- Ontario Early and Child Care agreement leaving the City with badly needed child care spaces and little to no funding to cover them.
Last week's announcement comes on the heels of a 14 month battle to have their current 101 spaces recognized by the Province as Best Start spaces - and thereby eligible for Best Start funding.
"The funding that has been announced and particularly the $757,200 is specifically for the 101 spaces that we opened last year," said Bob Knight, director of health and social services for Kawartha Lakes.
To date, the City has been supporting the operation of those spaces with the child care operators through the typical fee-subsidy approach using an unconditional grant the City received early on, Knight said.
"We will now be able to use the money announced last week to support those 101 spaces, which takes pressure off the unconditional grant.
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- reprinted from the Lindsay Post