On Monday, January 3, the Premier announced that schools would remain closed to in-person learning until January 17. Students enrolled in publicly-funded schools across Muskoka will now be engaged in virtual learning effective Wednesday, January 5, 2022.
The District Municipality of Muskoka understands the impact this decision has on families and has expedited steps to support our community. The District is actively working with child care operators, school boards, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, and with the Province to make Emergency Child Care (ECC) spaces available in Muskoka. It is anticipated these spaces will be available beginning Monday, January 10, pending provincial approval. ECC is available to eligible parents/guardians of school-aged children in Muskoka at no cost.
In order to assist families as quickly as possible, the District is now accepting applications for ECC. Due to the limited number of spaces, the District will be prioritizing the following applicants on a first-come, first-serve basis:
- Regulated and unregulated staff in health care delivery;
- First responders – police, fire and ambulance;
- Individuals who work for a manufacturer or distributor of pharmaceutical products or medical supplies, including medications, medical isotopes, vaccines, antivirals, medical devices, sanitizers and disinfectants;
- Individuals who perform work in relation to the administration, manufacturing or distribution of COVID-19 vaccines;
- Workers in a correctional institution as defined in the Ministry of Correctional Services Act or an independent contractor who supplies services to correctional institutions, including, but not limited to, employees of Trilcor; and
- Child Care Staff.
All other applicants that fall into the provincially approved eligibility list will be put on a waitlist.
All applicants are required to complete an application regardless of previous ECC approval.
Please complete the online application available at missioninc.com/olaf/muskoka/en-ca. The application will launch when you click “Child Care Fee Subsidy Application.” Please select “Emergency Child Care” as the reason for applying and upload the required document. A member of the ECC team will contact you to discuss the next steps.
ECC Updates
For the most up-to-date information on ECC, please visit the District’s website at muskoka.on.ca/emergencychildcare.
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