Under a new pilot program, the City of Peterborough will provide financial support to reduce the cost of licensed child care fees by 50 percent in 2022 for families registered with Compass Early Learning & Care in Apsley.
Compass ELC is the only licensed child care provider in the village of Apsley, and is a not-for-profit charitable organization that offers part-time and full-time services for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, as well as school-age and before- and after-school programs for children up to 12.
Registered Early Childhood Educators at Compass ELC coordinate programming that is child-centred and promotes the development of the whole child.
“We are so pleased to be in a position to offer this opportunity to the families in the Apsley community,” Sheila Olan-MacLean, CEO of Compass ELC. “We have some spaces available immediately.”
Fees for families in Apsley who are using licensed child care for their young children under the age of 4 will be reduced by 50 percent effective January 1, 2022. The goal of the pilot program is to increase accessibility, affordability and support social inclusion for children, while also creating more opportunities for parents to seek employment.
“The pandemic has shown us what the early years community has always known,” added Olan-MacLean. “That child care plays an essential role for families in rural communities. Reducing our fees will mean that more families in the community will be able to access licensed child care in our high-quality, rich and unique learning environments.”
The initiative follows a successful pilot project in 2018 that saw a reduction in fees leading to a boost in access to child care in Buckhorn, particularly for working families for whom child care costs have been a barrier.
Families who are interested in registering for child care in Apsley are asked to register on the OneHSN child care waiting list portal.
