A local day care operation is receiving financial support from Wellington County to keep its doors open.
Following a closed session at a special county council meeting Aug. 14 councillors approved a $20,000 conditional loan to the Early Learning Centre of Minto (TELC).
The loan, according to the motion approved by council is “to sustain the current licensed child care program providing that the operator continue to comply with monitoring requirements of administration, governance and fiduciary responsibilities.”
Council also approved as part of its motion a requirement that staff from county child care services “be directed to investigate and, if needed, proceed with directly operating the current licensed child care spaces provided at 215 William Street in Palmerston by using existing approved 2013 provincial child care funding allocation.”
The motion was based on a report from child care services director Luisa Artuso.
She told council the day care facility has a licensed capacity of 23 spaces for children 18 to 30 months of age (10 toddler and 13 preschool). The county provides subsidies to some of the children attending the facility.
“Minto, along with Wellington North, is identified as a priority area in Wellington County according to a recent comprehensive publication on social determinants of health authored by the health analytics team at Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph public health,” Artuso said in her report to council. “In the (health unit) report, child and family poverty, high level of low income households, limited access to transportation, and children’s high levels of vulnerability to developmental delays are issues that the population of Minto is experiencing to a greater degree than those living in other areas of Wellington.”
Among concerns raised about the facility was a high turnover of staff,” Minto mayor George Bridge said.
“In December 2012, TELC did not meet a significant portion of the Child Care Programming Operating Criteria resulting in the program being placed on follow-up; for June 2013,” Artuso said.
In March, a stop admission order was placed on the facility.
“The decision to initiate a stop admission order was a result of the program’s inability to address the high number of legislative mandatory issues that continued to be identified,” Artuso said. “As a result of this order, no new families who were deemed eligible for fee subsidy supports after March 2013 have been able to enroll in the child care program.”
A subsequent third party study report noted a “need to address the lack of financial stability due to limited revenue sources resulting in the understaffing of administrative requirements, low wages and high staff turnover.”
The study also called for restructuring at the administrative and board level.
“A meeting with the director of child care services and the board of directors (attended by Bridge and the ministry of education) on Aug. 1 resulted in the board of directors selecting new administrative positions and membership,” Artuso wrote in an update to county council. “Child care services committed to provide an increased level of mentorship and coaching to the centre supervisor in terms of accountability to regulated requirements and administration. It was found that the centre has a deficit of approximately $20,000 which significantly makes this program vulnerable to closure.”
Bridge said it is hoped measures taken will ensure the facility continues to operate. “We definitely want to keep it open,” he said.
Minto councillor Mary Lou Colwell, a professional accountant, has joined the TELC board.
“I think we’ve turned a corner,” Bridge said of the appointment and changes.
