The Avon Maitland District School Board is looking for help in providing before and after school child care

by Bob Montgomery

Avon Maitland Superintendent of Corporate Services Cheri Carter explains the board does not directly provide the care but contracts with a third party to come into the schools and provide before and after school child care. Carter says in the past that service has been provided by the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario for some of their schools but they notified the board last spring that they would no longer providing that service and particularly in Hullett Central Public School, Huron Centennial Public School and Hullett Central Public School. So those schools were left without before and after school child care after the YMCA pulled out.

Carter says the board reached out to the county for expressions of interest from people licensed in providing the care but there was no interest there so they put it out on social media and anyone else in the community that might be able to provide the service. Carter says over the summer the township of Howick was able to provide the service to their school and there is some interest from a group in Bluewater that might be able to provide the service at Huron Centennial Public School. But she says so far they haven't had any luck with the Hullett Public School so they are desperately looking for someone in that community to step forward. Carter says while the board doesn't directly provide the service, what they're hearing from everyone that might be able to provide it is that they just don't have the staff to do it and that's putting a lot of pressure on parents.