Parents of the 55 children enrolled at the Willowdale day care operated by Wellington County and located in Guelph will have to find alternative arrangements after the facility was permanently closed.
Warden Chris White said the decision to close the day care was made by the county’s social services committee after asbestos was discovered last week. It is the second vermiculite discovery at the facility, which was first closed in late 2011 and re-opened in October last year.
“Our staff members recommended not to go back to the building,” White said of the decision. “From where I sit this is the second time (and) it’s our most vulnerable group.”
White said child care staff have contacted parents about efforts to find alternative day care. He said child care workers are hoping to find a place near Willowdale.
“They’ll work until it’s fixed,” said White.
Luisa Artuso-Della Croce, county director of child care services, confirmed contact has been made with parents.
“We called them (and said) you need to make plans for a more indefinite period of time,” she said of notices advising parents about the permanent closure. “We’re making sure they understand it could be three to four weeks before we have another site.”
The county is looking for a permanent facility either owned privately or by the city. She said the county would prefer to find a location close to Willowdale to keep the children together.
“Because a lot of the families are in close distance to the child care program, it’s essential,” she added. “For a lot of the children it was their second home.”
“They can’t be out of this system for very long. It’s a group that needs support,” White said of efforts to find another day care location as quickly as possible.
“We’ve got a list of options and that would be one of the places,” said Guelph CAO Ann Pappert, referring to the facility used when Willowdale was closed for about a year.
Pappert said after the most recent closure and clean up, Willowdale was given a clean bill of health, but because of concerns over any possible health risks to children, the decision was made to find a new location. That decision came after the May 8 meeting between a Guelph official and the social services committee.
“This is quite precautionary,” Pappert said of the decision to find another day care location. “It’s a heightened level of concern for the children.”
The county subsidizes about 75 per cent of the children in the day care and will cover any additional costs connected to alternative arrangements until a long-term solution is found.
