Day care in Lanark to close
Posted Feb 4, 2010 By Chris Must
Email
Print
Tweet ThisEMC News - Children's Resources on Wheels (C.R.O.W.) has confirmed that a day care program which has been running at Maple Grove Public School in Lanark village since 2006 will be closed effective March 31.
Program director Kelli Cassidy told the EMC the KinderCare and School Age Program will be shut down because it hasn't been financially viable for some time. "There just aren't the numbers for a day care at this point," she said. "There's not the number of families with children under the age of six in Lanark Highlands."
Cassidy said the Smiths Falls-based non-profit organization's board of directors regrets the decision, because there is a need for services in the community. She noted the organization does not receive government funding to provide services, and must rely on fees for service.
In a letter to program staff dated Jan. 26, C.R.O.W. chair David Orman said "the closing of the program has no reflection on the quality of the work of the staff. The Board of Directors recognizes your level of hard work and commitment."
The letter cites changes in the climate in the child care field as factors in the decision, including the implementation of the Full Day of Early Learning, changes in demographics, high unemployment, increased options for child care, and lack of subsidy. The letter stated that flexible work schedules and increased availability of summer camps as additional factors that have impacted the service.
Premier Dalton McGuinty has announced that nearly 600 Ontario schools will offer full-day kindergarten to four- and five-year-olds next fall. About 35,000 children, or 15 per cent of those eligible, will be able to enroll in the program in September, with plans to expand to 50,000 students in 2011.
