Child care operations at Biidaaban and Sioux Mountain Public School in Sioux Lookout have been saved.
The Kenora District Services Board says all parties involved in the municipal child care discussions in the community have made the necessary agreements and arrangements.
The KDSB will begin operations of the Early Years and Child Care programs on April 4.
On April 1, the board will begin bringing in all staff who transferred over from the municipal service.
Board Chair Barry Baltessen says, “As a Board, we felt it was imperative to be open in moving forward with all parties involved, as child care and early years programming is the cornerstone for positive child and family engagement, and resiliency in our communities. We look forward in welcoming Sioux Lookout child care staff to the KDSB. We thank them for their passion and commitment to instilling lifelong learning and well-being in the community’s children and families.”
A statement reads, “All parties involved worked hard to ensure a transfer would be seamless as possible, with families seeing minimal or no disruptions in programming.”
It adds that after the transfer is completed, the KDSB will continue to work with the Ministry of Education to ensure that all 109 children on the current wait list in Sioux Lookout have access to high-quality, accessible, and affordable child care by September 1, including the creation of school-aged and JK/SK before and after-school programming.
Meantime, the Canadian Union of Public Employees stresses a new child care agreement is a relief for families, workers, and the community.
Spokesperson Kristin Wray says a coalition of parents, workers, and community supporters sent hundreds of letters to council members, Mayor Doug Lawrance, and the KDSB, demanding that they ensure that child care remain in the region.
While the union welcomes the KDSB decision to accept workers and their current workplace rights, Wray stresses the entire situation could have been avoided.
She says the municipality and KDSB should have consulted with stakeholders to ensure an orderly service transition.
Wray adds the board’s initial refusal to accept front-line child care workers, and their current collective agreement rights, and councillor’s refusal to meet with constituents regarding the situation is concerning.
Wray went on to say, “The municipality’s shameful decision to close the centers, and issue layoff notices to 17 frontline child care workers, following the KDSB’s refusal to move forward with the service transfer, left workers, families and the broader community rightfully concerned and fearful of service disruption.”
She notes, “Families and workers, simply wanted to see a seamless transition of services where service quality, space accessibility, and workers’ rights were maintained and protected. From the beginning, workers have always wanted to continue doing the important care and early learning work they do for the families of Sioux Lookout, and maintain their current, modest working conditions that were not guaranteed in the service transfer agreement.”
The KDSB adds, “We thank the community and families for their patience and look forward to working with the community’s employer over the coming months to understand their Early Years and Child Care programming needs.”
