George Brown College issued the following announcement on July 24.

Ten of George Brown College’s child care centres re-opened on July 15, thanks to the support and commitment of several teams across the college. The re-opening includes our Casa Loma Child Care Centre and most lab schools. All open child care centres are following regulations set by Ontario’s Ministry of Education, as well as municipal and provincial public health measures such as health screening, wearing masks, and physical distancing when possible.

“The re-opening of our child care centres speaks volumes about the college’s commitment to families, communities and the early childhood sector,” said Patricia Chorney Rubin, Director, Early Childhood Education. “It’s wonderful to see how joyous the children are to be back. The parents are reassured that they can go to work while their kids are cared for in a terrific place to learn and grow.”

To prepare for re-opening, teams worked tirelessly to sanitize the spaces, and plan activities so the children would have the most optimal experience. Senior management provided crucial support in the re-opening, and the child care management team worked with several areas across the college to re-open the centres, including Facilities, Public Safety & Security, Human Resources, Health & Safety and the OPSEU support union. Partner agencies and other stakeholders were also engaged to ensure all centres met the requirements to open, and families were kept informed of the new health and safety protocols.

In addition to serving children and families in our community, Patricia explained that the college's School of Early Childhood plays an important role in working with the broader early childhood sector.

“Child care is going to be a key component of opening up the economy,” Patricia said. “The college is in a good position to work closely with Ontario’s Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to help pave the way to re-opening the early childhood sector in a safe and thoughtful way.”

Original source: https://www.georgebrown.ca/news/2020/child-care-centres-welcome-back-children-and-families