P.E.I. expands childcare support amid COVID-19 restrictions
Prince Edward Island is helping families who choose to keep their children home from a licensed early learning or childcare centre as COVID-19 public health measures tighten.
“The provincial government will credit the centre with the amount the families would normally pay. This will help ensure centers have the income they need to operate and that families do not lose their child’s registered space,” reads a release from the government.
Centres can expect to receive payment directly from the province, meaning parents don’t have to apply.
Families with infant to school aged children, who have been negatively impacted by restrictions or who choose not to use their regular licensed child care and require a private babysitter, can apply for the Child Care Allowance online.
“As we move through this next stage of the pandemic, we recognize that some families are choosing to keep their children home from early years centers to help decrease their risk of exposure. We want to support these parents and their centres," says Natalie Jameson, education and lifelong learning minister, in a release.
The province says it will also continue to administer the School Age Child Care Allowance, which provides $125 per week, per child for families with children aged five to 12 who require childcare while schools are closed to in-class learning.
Families with children attending a licensed school age centre will not need to apply, as the centre will be automatically paid by the province. If a family chooses to hire a private babysitter, they can register online for the Child Care Allowance.
Additionally, when licensed early learning centres are closed due to COVID-19, they will continue to be able to benefit from the province’s Emergency Relief to Child Care Centre Program, which covers the parent fee.
“As remote learning continues, we also want to assure parents that our respite program, our student support services and our school based substitutes program will continue,” added Jameson.
The government says schools across the province have respite care in place to provide support for students with special needs who are currently supported by a school educational assistant or youth service worker. As well, virtual services are in place to support children and families in the Intensive Behavioural Intervention program.
“We know that every family situation is different, and we are trying to meet the needs of all our students during these challenging days,” said Jameson.
School based OT, SLP, school counselors and APSEA services are working with students both virtually and in person and substitute teachers have been hired to provide in-school support for students who are struggling academically or socially.
“Student services and teachers have been identifying students who many benefit from this type of support. Parents or guardians can reach out to their school's administrator if they feel their child would benefit from these supports,” reads a release from the government.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.