As part of Ontario’s ongoing efforts to build and improve local schools, the province has provided the Trillium Lakelands District School Board with approval to award the tender for a child care centre retrofit at Glen Orchard Public School. This is supported by an investment of $1.7 million, which includes additional funding of $.7 million.
The Government of Ontario is delivering more than $26.6 billion in education funding for the 2022-23 school year, including an increase of over $600 million this September, which is the highest investment in public education in Ontario’s history. Investing in the province’s schools is an integral part of Ontario’s Plan to Catch Up, which is squarely focused on the priorities of parents and includes five key components:
- Kids being back in the classroom, on time with a full school experience that includes extracurriculars like sports, band and field trips;
- Investing more than $175 million for enhanced tutoring support programs delivered by school boards and community partners, with a focus on reading, writing and math;
- Updating the curriculum to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, including opportunities in the skilled trades;
- Providing more money to build schools and improve education; and
- Allocating $90 million – the highest amount in Ontario history, and a 420 per cent increase from 2017-18 – to support student mental health.The child care centre retrofit at Glen Orchard Public School will deliver affordable child care spaces for Parry Sound – Muskoka parents. The investment is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to provide $14 billion to support school construction over 10 years.
“The funding for a child care centre retrofit at Glen Orchard Public School is great news for our community,” said Graydon Smith, the MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka. “This investment will ensure families and students have access to a quality learning environment in the years ahead.”
“Our government is investing $14 billion over ten years to build new schools, improve existing facilities and create child care spaces to ensure young people can reach their full potential,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “By building the new state-of-the-art child care retrofit at Glen Orchard Public School, as well as investing in tutoring and mental health supports for the year ahead, we are getting students in Port Carling back on track now and well into the future. While we make progress building this new child care retrofit for Port Carling to support hard-working parents, we remain focused on getting students back to class this September in more normal classrooms with extra curriculars, sports, and clubs.”
“Under Premier Ford’s leadership, our government is delivering more schools across the province to support the needs of Ontario’s students, families and growing communities. By cutting red tape and driving forward innovative solutions for accelerated school construction through a Rapid Build pilot, we’re ensuring that students reap the benefits of state-of-the-art learning facilities sooner and have access to education in a safe and healthy environment.” said Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure. “These investments are just one of the ways we’re building critical infrastructure – such as schools, hospitals, long-term care homes and public transit – that Ontarians rely on with a budget over $148 billion over the next decade.”
“We are thrilled to receive funding and approval from the Ministry of Education and the Government of Ontario to move forward on the creation of a child care centre at Glen Orchard Public School,” said Tim Ellis, Superintendent of Business Services for Trillium Lakelands District School Board. “This space will offer greater child care opportunities for families in the Glen Orchard Public School area.”
The child care centre retrofit at Glen Orchard Public School will deliver 54 new child care spaces and three new child care rooms.