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The impending closure of a daycare operator's before-and-after school program in Huron County at the end of this month has left hundreds of parents in the rural communities, north of London, scrambling to find other options.
Parents learned in August that London Bridge Child Care Services will end its programs at three schools in the Municipality of Bluewater on Sept. 26, due to a shortage of early childhood educators (ECE) in the county, and across Ontario.
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Local politicians call on province to step in
Municipal politicians are also concerned about the closure. Officials in Bluewater wrote to Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Paul Calandra advocating for a core service provided by the province across schools.
"We're asking the province to step up and put pressure on school boards to say this is a required service," said Hensall Coun. Scott Harris. "Maybe the province could help them with funding or even programming for staff shortage. There's probably multiple things the province could do."
Harris said the availability of before-and-after care is very limited in the small town, and having to travel to municipalities nearby can be difficult if students need to catch a bus. He believes a model where ECEs are able to split shifts throughout the day can help with staffing challenges.
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