Ministry of Education
Early Years and Child Care Division
315 Front Street West, 11th Floor
Toronto ON M5V 3A4
TO: Child Care and Early Years Partners
FROM: Shannon Fuller, Assistant Deputy Minister, Early Years and Child Care Division
DATE: August 13, 2020
SUBJECT: Face Covering Procurement and Delivery to Child Care and Early Years Programs
Thank you for your partnership in supporting the healthy and safe reopening of child care and early years programs across the province, including programs in First Nations communities.
As of September 1, 2020, licensees will be expected to ensure that child care staff and home child care providers wear face coverings at all times while they are working, and that ministry guidelines are followed on the use of masks and face coverings for school age children who are at a child care premises.
To support healthy and safe reopening of early years and child care programs, a supply of face coverings is being procured and delivered through the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services to licensed child care centres and home child care agencies, EarlyON Child and Family Centres, and First Nation Child and Family Programs. The province will provide medical masks and eye protection (i.e., face shields) for staff working in these early years and child care settings. A back up supply of non-medical or cloth masks will also be provided for school age children in child care in case they cannot bring one from home. In Ontario, a portion of the federal Safe Restart Agreement funding for the child care sector will support the cost of providing face coverings. There will be no charge to you for these supplies.
Delivery of face coverings will be made directly and will reoccur monthly. Shipments will begin in the coming weeks, shipping to operators that have indicated they have reopened. For child care operators that have not yet reopened, the Ministry of Education will need two weeks advance notice of plans to reopen for the shipment of supplies to arrive prior to reopening. Please reach out to childcare_ontario@Ontario.ca to provide advance notice of reopening dates. Face coverings for staff and cloth masks for children may be delivered separately.
Delivery prior to the reopening of EarlyON Child and Family Centres and First Nation Child and Family Programs will be arranged.
The number of face coverings needed are estimated based on full capacity of program operation. If an adjustment to subsequent shipments is necessary, operators can email childcare_ontario@Ontario.ca to request modification.
Child care providers that have reopened but will not be available to receive shipments should notify the Ministry of Education via childcare_ontario@Ontario.ca.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation with this process as we all seek to ensure a safe environment for staff and children.
Thank you,
Shannon Fuller
