A new working group will advise the city on possible pandemic responses related to local childcare services.
On Monday, council endorsed the terms of reference for the childcare working group, which will advise the city on possible pandemic response efforts related to local childcare closures, with a particular focus on external and internal essential service workers who require childcare services to report to work. These include healthcare workers, some city employees, first responders, public transit drivers, etc.
The working group will be comprised of staff from various city departments, as well as representatives from the school district, Fraser Health Community Care Facilities Licensing, the Ministry of Children and Family Development and YMCA Child Care Resources and Referral.
Coun. Mary Trentadue asked if staff would be willing to have a couple of local childcare providers advise the committee, as they may have useful input. She noted one local childcare centre closed, but is now considering reopening.
“The very basic issue they are having right now is not being able to access any cleaning supplies. Being able to have all those equipment or products available in the daycare is really a challenge right now. The other thing is when they have children in there, they are feeding them. They can’t manage getting the groceries, dealing with the lineups and all the processes for getting groceries,” she said. “I just want to make sure we are going to include that really down-to-earth information that is going to really determine whether childcare centres can operate well or meet all of the requirements that are asked of them, and also to make sure they can open if they want to and perhaps get some support from the city or the ministry to do so.”
Renee Chadwick, manager of recreation services, said the working group had its first meeting on March 26 and will be connecting with local childcare providers.
“I have been in contact with one of the local childcare providers that is in Queensborough,” Chadwick noted. “She has been giving me some information about the struggles and the challenges that she has.”
The working group’s tasks include: liaising with families and child-care operators in identifying childcare needs for infant/toddler and school-aged care children; compiling information, reviewing the current situation and responding to child-care closures in a collaborative approach to childcare requirements; and developing a communication plan to ensure essential service workers have information related to childcare availability and access to childcare services.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city has established seven working groups to address a variety of community issues, including at-risk and vulnerable populations; seniors and persons with disabilities; and businesses and working economy. Instead of being considered by the at-risk and vulnerable populations working group, Trentadue suggested at a March 23 council meeting that childcare may require its own working group that includes people with specific experience in the field.
