EXCERPTS
Coun. Keith Riel says he's pleased that licensed child-care centre workers in Peterborough are about to get a raise thanks to a new grant of $1.1 million from Queen's Park.
As the city's social services chairman, Riel said he's visited municipally run child-care centres and has found the workers there do a job that's "second to none."
They deserve a raise, he said, and he's happy Queen's Park is offering one.
"The province finally did something right," he said. "It's going to be well-received."
The idea is to distribute the $1.1-million among the 56 licensed facilities in the city and the county of Peterborough. Here's how it'll be spent:
- $709,326 will boost the wages of local childcare workers. In Peterborough, the average wage of a childcare worker is $16.44 an hour; this money is supposed to increase their pay by $1 an hour.
- $70,933 is meant to hire city staff for a year to administer that raise for local childcare workers.
- $349,141 is meant to help pay for resource staff that work, one-on-one, with kids who have physical challenges. It's also meant to help subsidize child care fees for needy parents.
Riel pointed out that while it's not going to mean extra childcare spaces in the region, it is still great news for people who work in childcare.
Parents should also be pleased about this, he said, because an investment in childcare can only enhance the good care children are already receiving in the city.
Riel made the comments at a committee of the whole meeting Monday night at City Hall.
Councillors voted to receive the report explaining the details about the provincial grant. Riel was the only councillor who commented on it.
A staff report to councillors states that child-care centres will have to apply for the money. More details are available on the city website. The deadline to apply is June 30.