April 8, 2021
Dear parents/guardians and members of our community:
The Macaulay Child Development Centre is committed to the health, safety, and well-being of the families we serve, as well as our staff, providers, volunteers, and our greater community. As the Province continues to tackle the spread of Covid-19, the Premier of Ontario has declared a stay-at-home order across the Province effective Thursday, April 9, 2021, that will remain in effect for 28 days. In light of these new restrictions, we wanted to take this opportunity to connect with you and keep you updated on how we are supporting our community throughout this time.
Update on Service Delivery
Licensed Child Care
While schools in some locations across the Province remain open, Toronto Public Health has issued a Section 22 order under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, that requires all elementary and secondary school students in Toronto to transition to online/remote learning from Wednesday, April 7 to April 18. During this school closure, Macaulay programs will operate as follows:
- All full-time Macaulay programs for children 0 to 4 years (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers) will continue as normal. This includes full-time childcare programs located in schools.
- As directed by Toronto Public Health, all Before and After School programs will be closed from April 7 to April 18.
- Home child care providers will continue to operate during the school closure.
Emergency Child Care
Macaulay Licensed Child Care Programs have been approved by the City of Toronto Children’s Services to offer emergency child care for kindergarten and school-age children of essential workers during the closure of in-person learning for all publicly funded elementary schools in Toronto from April 12th to April 16th, 2021. This includes all Macaulay child care centres located in schools, as well as our Home Child Care program. For eligibility information and to register, please see our FAQ
Community Programs
All Macaulay community programs and services have transitioned to a virtual platform. Programs and essential supports continue to be delivered through the use of video and tele-practice, web, and social media platforms. At this time, Macaulay’s physical programs and services locations (excluding child care) remain closed. Please visit our website regularly and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to access additional resources and information.
For more than 80 years, we have been committed to helping children succeed. Now more than ever, this remains true. While our offices and program centres remain closed, we are still here, working remotely, and will continue to communicate with you to share important information and deliver critical support to our community.
Health & Safety
At this critical point in the pandemic, we encourage everyone to help limit the spread of Covid-19 by following health and safety protocols and staying home unless for essential reasons. For more information, please visit Toronto’s Covid-19 guide for residents here.
Stay safe,
Trevor McAlmont
Executive Director
Macaulay Child Development Centre