ROCKWOOD – The Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) and the County of Wellington have been awarded funds to construct a licensed child care centre and an EarlyON Child and Family Centre at Sacred Heart Catholic School here.
Funded by an investment from the Government of Ontario, the new stand-alone child care centre will accommodate 49 children under the age of four.
“We are thrilled to be receiving this funding and look forward to working with the County of Wellington to see this project through to completion,” said Michael Glazier, director of education for the WCDSB.
“It will be of great benefit to the community of Rockwood, including our Sacred Heart families and neighbours.”
The board partnered with the County of Wellington to ensure the project would both meet the needs of the community and address child care and family support facility requirements.
“We are so pleased to be able to offer this valuable service to our families, alongside our partners at the [WCDSB],” said Luisa Artuso, director of the county’s Children’s Early Years division.
“This is a welcomed addition of children’s early years’ services in Wellington County as it provides a continuum of services for families with young children – particularly for those residing in Guelph-Eramosa.”
A press release states the project supports the government’s child care plan, which focuses on “making child care more affordable, creating more choice and availability for families, reducing red tape and administrative burden, improving quality, and delivering high standards of care.”
“By funding a new child care centre and an EarlyON Child and Family Centre at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Wellington County, our government is providing parents with real assistance and preparing their children for lifelong academic success,” said Minister of Education Stephen Lecce. “The Government of Ontario is listening to hard-working Rockwood families and delivering safe and affordable quality child care.”
The operator of the new child care centre will be the YMCA of Three Rivers, while the EarlyON Child and Family Centre will be operated by the Community Resource Centre – both having been awarded through formal expression of interest processes in 2018.
WCDSB will now seek builders, with the facility proposed to open sometime this fall.
