Re-opening EarlyON Centres

All in-person programs and services must be offered with enhanced health and safety protocols and physical distancing measures in place.

The ministry recognizes that not all EarlyON Centres and programs will resume in-person operations immediately once permitted, for public health reasons and/or due to other community related considerations. CMSMs/DSSABs are encouraged to leverage a variety of service delivery methods as part of their re-opening plan to continue delivering EarlyON Centre programs during the ongoing outbreak. CMSMs/DSSABs may take a phased or gradual approach to re-opening EarlyON Centres, which may include offering targeted services based on community need.

It is recommended that CMSMs/DSSABs who are able to re-open EarlyON Centres for in- person offerings consider ways to prioritize programs/services and families with the greatest need during this difficult time. Approaching service planning through this equity lens helps to remove barriers to access and better ensures that EarlyON Centre programs and services continue to remain accessible to all children and families in Ontario during the ongoing COVID‑19 outbreak.

The ministry recommends that EarlyON Centres continue offering virtual services, where possible, so that children and families can access programs and services without having to attend an EarlyON Centre in-person.

CMSMs/DSSABs have the flexibility to allocate their EarlyON Centre funding to support in-person, virtual, outdoor or mobile programming and services.

Pre-registering for programs and services

Providers are required to develop policies and processes that require families to reserve and/or register in advance of participating in programs and services in-person. Pre-registering for programs and services ahead of time is an important measure that helps to promote enhanced health and safety by:

  • safely collecting information of participants for the purposes of contact tracing
  • promoting advanced screening of participants before entering an EarlyON Centre
  • providing important communication to participants on enhanced health and safety measures in advance of attending in-person programs and services
  • enabling EarlyON Centres to maintain and manage group/space capacity
  • supporting safe and timely sign-ins and preventing crowding/waiting at entrances
  • helping to organize programming options that support an enhanced level of health and safety (for example, such as participants registering for multi-week programs)

Providers must follow their reservation/registration policies and processes for all children and families entering the EarlyON Centre and participating in programs and services.

Where required, registration policies and processes may permit reasonable exceptions to the pre-registration requirement that support the unique needs of families while continuing to meet health and safety requirements, which includes:

  • the ability to safely screen all individuals before they enter the EarlyON Centre (see section on screening for COVID‑19 symptoms)
  • the collection and maintenance of daily records of anyone entering the EarlyON Centre and the approximate length of their stay (see section on attendance records)

Communication with families

Communication with families regarding the enhancement of health and safety measures makes expectations clear. New policies should be shared with families for their information and to ensure they are aware of these expectations, including keeping children home when they are sick, which is aimed at helping to keep all children and staff/providers safe and healthy.

Child and family program providers must share with parents and caregivers the policies and procedures regarding health and safety protocols to COVID‑19, including requirements and exceptions related to masks.

Providers may want to consider providing links to helpful information as well as detailed instructions regarding screening and protocols if a child or individual in the program becomes ill.

Policies may need to be updated as health and safety measures change to account for any resulting limited capacity. Any changes to policies should be communicated to families so they are aware of the changes.

Mobile programming

Where programming is being offered in a shared setting (for example, a community centre), providers should work in collaboration with the local public health unit and those sharing the space to follow public health advice.

Outdoor programming

Outdoor programming is strongly encouraged as a program delivery model as it can easily allow for safe, physically distanced activities for children and families. Where programming is being offered in a shared setting (for example, park), providers should work in collaboration with the local public health unit to follow public health advice.

Virtual programming

EarlyON Centres are required to continue offering virtual services, where possible, so that children and families can access programs and services without having to attend an EarlyON Centre in person.

CMSMs/DSSABs can allocate their EarlyON Centre funding to support virtual programming and services.

Child minding and respite child care

Child minding and respite child care as outlined in the Ontario Child Care and EarlyON Child and Family Centres service management and funding guideline may not be offered at this time. Partners will be notified when this restriction has been lifted.