Federal Safe Restart Funding - September Reopening Plan - August 13, 2020

Ministry of Education
Early Years and Child Care Division
315 Front Street West, 11th Floor
Toronto ON M5V 3A4

TO: Consolidated Municipal Service Managers and District Social Service Administration Boards

FROM: Shannon Fuller, Assistant Deputy Minister, Early Years and Child Care Division

DATE: August 14, 2020

SUBJECT: Federal Safe Restart Funding (SRF) – September Reopening Plan

The purpose of this memo is to provide details on the federal Safe Restart Funding (SRF) that supports a shared commitment by the Ontario and Federal governments to ensure a safe, sufficient and adequate supply of child care is available to support the gradual return to work of parents as the economy reopens.

The Government of Canada has committed to provide $625M in new funding nationwide to help the child care sector adapt to the COVID-19 environment and address the unique needs stemming from the pandemic. In Ontario, SRF will provide $234.6M in new funding and will complement existing provincial investments to help parents, families and communities so that parents can return to work with confidence.
 

Safe Restart Funding

The SRF will be provided through CMSMs and DSSABs for child care and EarlyON, through First Nations for child care and Child & Family Programs on reserve and directly from the Ministry of Education for child care centres without a purchase of service agreement. The investment will consist of two components:

• Funding will be used by the Province to procure and deliver face coverings directly to operators and licensed home child care agencies across Ontario in order to comply with the Ministry’s reopening operational guidance. Further details were provided in the memo dated August 13, 2020 from Shannon Fuller.
• In addition to face coverings, funding will be provided through CMSMs and DSSABs to operators which can be used for additional personal protective equipment (PPE, such as gloves, gowns, etc.), enhanced cleaning, additional staff to meet health and safety requirements, support for short term vacancies

as operators transition to return to full capacity, and minor capital required in accordance with Ministry’s reopening operational guidance or local public health requirements.

SRF will be provided through CMSMs/DSSABs for operators that have a purchase of service agreement for general operating and/or fee subsidies as well as EarlyON Child and Family Centres. CMSMs/DSSABs will work directly with child care operators in their area. Funding has been allocated to CMSMs/DSSABs proportionally based on their total 2020 child care and EarlyON allocations (per the October 2019 budget schedules). See Appendix A for further details. These funds are intended to be spent by December 31, 2020.

Child care operators who do not have a purchase of service agreement will receive funding support directly from the province for SRF. Not having a purchase of service agreement is defined as not having a purchase of service agreement for general operating and/or fee subsidy funding with a CMSM/DSSAB.
 

Reporting

CMSMs/DSSABs will be required to track and monitor expenditures as well as service data including the number of licensed child care centres and licenced spaces, the number of EarlyON Child and Family Centres and the number of licensed home child care agencies and homes supported by SRF. CMSMs/DSSABs will report back on SRF as part of the 2020 Financial Statement submissions in the Education Finance Information System (EFIS).
 

Next Steps

Thank you for your partnership and continued collaboration at all levels, and please let us know how we can continue to provide support, as we safely return to full capacity in our child care centres and begin reopening Child & Family Centres throughout the province.

Thank you,

Shannon Fuller

Appendix A: Federal Safe Restart Funding Allocations