The Children’s Early Years Division at the County of Wellington has launched a social media campaign, seeking input from parents and guardians on the current licensed child care system for children birth to 12 years of age.
The “Deserve it. Demand it.” campaign complements a larger campaign currently running in the county’s service delivery area of Guelph and Wellington County.
Using the hashtag #deserveitdemandit the county is asking familes to describe their needs and how the municipality can help. Families are also being asked to share personal stories. You can also help by liking and sharing our posts.
In March 6 press release, the county notes:
– licensed child care is critical to the health, safety and overall wellbeing of children and their families;
– child care is as important to the local economy as public transportation and road systems;
– of the population of children under 18 months of age, the county has full-time, full-year spaces for only 5 per cent in Guelph and not even 1% in Wellington County, well below the target of 43%; and
– the average cost of operating a child space is $135 per day, while the average fee charged to parents is $60 per day. Operators need funding grants to off-set the costs.
“The Ministry of Education has announced funding for 100,000 new child care spaces in Ontario in the next five years,” said Luisa Artuso, Director of the the Children’s Early Years Division.
“We’re asking for your help to have the needs of families in Guelph and Wellington County heard by the Government of Ontario.”
